Senior Year
by SprouseGoose
Summary: This is the sequel to Cailey on Deck. The There will be some changes and new adventures, but I think everyone will enjoy the ride. Again, the summer snippets I wrote are all canon to my stories and should be ready before jumping from COD to Senior Year.
1. Complications on Deck

_Chapter 1_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

On the morning of August 27, 2010, Cassie, Zack, Cody and Bailey were finishing their packing. They were all due to re-board the S.S. Tipton by 2:00 PM that afternoon. Bailey was finishing her webcam chat with her parents and promised to talk to them later once she was settled into her cabin. Once she finished that, she closed her laptop and packed it up in its carrying case. Soon, everyone completed their last minute packing and were ready to go. They looked for London, but she was nowhere to be found. Figuring she might already be in the lobby, they all headed downstairs. When they got to the lobby, Esteban informed them that London had left earlier that morning. This came as quite a surprise to everyone as they didn't know that London did anything voluntarily before noon. Esteban proceeded to tell them that he would have the Tipton van drop them off at the docks as he knew there was no way they could fit everyone's bags in Carey's car. As their bags were being loaded, Esteban hugged everyone goodbye. He said he was going to miss his Little Blond Peoples and his new Little Sort of Blond Peoples. Everyone said they hoped he would get a chance to visit them again.

After arriving on at the port, everyone made their way to the S.S. Tipton. After almost three months, seeing their home away from home made everyone smile. Once there, Carey hugged them all goodbye and told them to take care of each other. She was about to turn and leave when she had to hug her two little men one more time. Cody and Zack went up the gangplank to grab a couple of luggage carts while the girls watched all of their bags. Once everything was loaded, the four made their way up to the lobby of the boat. After dropping their bags, boxes and trunks in the storage room, they made their way to the skydeck to find Miss Tutweiler to get their room assignments, Seven Seas High 2010-11 Handbook, schedules and room keys. She was in the same spot she had been their first year. As they waited in line, the saw some people they recognized and others they had never seen before. When it came their turn, Miss Tutweiler told Cody and Bailey they needed to go see Mr. Moseby before they could get their orientation packets.

Cody and Bailey looked at each other, shrugged and made their way to Mr. Moseby's office. They knocked and entered when he said come in.

Bailey smiled. "Good to see you again, Mr. Moseby...We missed you this summer."

Moseby smiled. He would never admit it, but he had missed them too. Even Zack. "Thank you, Bailey...Its good to see you both again as well."

Cody spoke up now. "Miss. Tutweiler said you needed to see us about something..."

Moseby sighed. "Yes, I do... As of about two weeks ago, we realized we had a problem. Seems one of the young ladies that we had accepted to Seven Seas High changed her mind after initially turning us down. So, we were left with an odd number of young ladies..."

Bailey was confused. "How does that affect us?"

"I'm getting to that. I asked Mr. Tipton if he minded that we have a student have her own room again. In the past, he wasn't too happy about Zack having a room all to himself. Well, due to...well, to be blunt, the loss of potential money, he preferred that student cabins be double occupied. But if someone was going to have their own room, it was going to be London as a reward for her better grades last semester..."

Cody nods. "So, Bailey is getting a new roommate..."

"Sort of..."

Bailey frowns. "Sort of?"

"Well, I wanted to avoid showing any favoritism, but to the threat of raising goats again in the Andes, I agreed. We thought that would take care of everything. Unfortunately, we were wrong. Turns out, we had assigned a new student, a Frankie Ramirez to a boys room..."

Cody is confused. "So, what's the problem?"

Moseby sighs. "Turns out Frankie is short for Francesca...Seems we would be having another Bailey situations..."

Bailey frets. "Again, I am so sorry about that, Mr. Moseby...I just wanted a good education and did what I had to do to get it...I never meant to cause so many problems..."

Moseby smiles. "Its okay. You are the type of student and more importantly, the type of person the school needs more of. We are all extremely happy you are here...probably no one more than the young man standing next to you. But this left us with a odd number of young ladies AND young men...Thus, the probability of now other two students with their own cabins in addition to London..."

Cody thinks. It seems like there is an obvious solution. "Why not just have London move back in with Bailey and you would only have one with their own cabin..."

Moseby laughs. "Trust me, that was our first thought. However, by this time, London had already began moving her things into her own cabin. She wasn't about to give it up...and the threat of raising mountain goats was again levied at me..."

Cody and Bailey nodded. They could certainly see London doing that.

Bailey spoke up. "So, am I going to have a cabin to myself?"

Moseby shook his head. "No, Mr. Tipton instructed me that all student cabins had to have two students in them. And by the time this edict was handed down to me, it was too late for any other new students to be accepted..."

Bailey nodded. That made sense. "So, who is my roommate then?"

Moseby sighs. "Well, after a lot of thought and finding no other way around it, your new roommate is...Cody."

Bailey and Cody look at Mr. Moseby in complete shock. "Huh? Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am. To do what Mr. Tipton demanded, the only way to accomplish it was to have a male and a female student room together. Normally, I would be totally against something like that. However, as you know, last semester you two and I came to an understanding. And, it worked without any problems. So, this year, instead of playing dumb like last year, I will...for the lack of a better word, be sanctioning you two staying together..."

Cody thinks. "Not that I'm have any problems with this, but what do we tell our parents. I'm sure that may have some concerns..."

"To be honest, I initially was totally against this idea. Then Miss Tutweiler mentioned you two meeting her aunt in New Haven and you two planning on living together next year anyways. So, last week, I called both of your parents and explained the situation to them..."

"And?"

Moseby smiles. "I just told you that you two were going to be roommates, how do you think they reacted?"

Cody and Bailey look at each other and are so excited, they hug each other. This was like a dream come true. However, realizing Bailey was going to be his roommate, something else popped into his mind. Cody spoke up finally. "While I would love to room with Bailey, what is this going to do to Woody?" Cody didn't want to throw his friend out into the cold.

Moseby nods. "Woody will be moving across the hall in with your brother."

Cody nodded, but then another question popped into his mind. "What about Marcus?"

"Marcus is going to be taking this semester through correspondence. Seems his record label made him an offer he couldn't refuse. He will be back in the studio this semester and then touring next summer after he graduates. He insisted it be a condition of the new deal that he return next semester so he could finish his time here with his friends and graduate. His label is even going to pay for his cabin next semester."

Cody and Bailey begin to digest everything and sink down into the two chairs in Moseby's office. "So, will we be in Bailey's old cabin, my old cabin or a completely different one?"

"You'll be in your old cabin. Bailey's old cabin will be taken over by Cassie and Addison."

Cody and Bailey look each other. Moseby realizes he forgot the most important thing - Cody and Bailey's actual agreement to this. "My apologies. I should have asked you both if you were okay with this. I shouldn't have assumed..."

Cody cuts him off. "No, no...this is perfect. If Bailey is in agreement, I would love to have her has my roommate this year..."

Bailey smiles. "Cody's right. I think this will be perfect."

Moseby nods. "Now, while we are condoning you two living together, don't go broadcasting it. It could cause problems with other students and could set an example and we aren't looking to set a precedent. This is purely a one time special circumstance. Further, the reason we are entrusting this to you two is that you two are the top two students in the incoming senior class and you've both been proven trustworthy in the past..."

Bailey smiles. "We're the top two?"

Moseby sighs. "Yes, you are both tied for the number one rank in your class right now..."

Cody smiles too. Normally, he'd want to be number one by himself, but he was more than willing to share it with Bailey. "Don't worry, Mr. Moseby. We promise our grades won't suffer any and we promise not to violate your trust..."

"Very well, you can return back to Em...Miss Tutweiler and get your room assignments...though you already know what it now"

With that, Cody and Bailey return to the skydeck and get back in line. Zack and Cassie are nowhere to be found and the only person they see that they know is Reina. Bailey has no interest in saying anything to the jezebel who so shamelessly flirted with her boyfriend. Cody never really had a problem with Reina, but he was never interested in her in that way. Plus, Cody was maybe a little naive, but he wasn't stupid. Any enemy of your girlfriend is someone you avoid at all costs. Eventually, they get to the front of the line and Miss Tutweiler asked if they had talked to Mr. Moseby. They both nod and she smiles. She hands them their welcome packets and and room keys. She proceeds to tell them that her aunt is looking forward to having them as tenants. Tut even said she offered to give them a glowing recommendation to her aunt, but Jo said she didn't need any further proof about Bailey and Cody. Finally, after signing in and officially registering, they returned to the storage room to load up their belongings again. With that done, they were on their way to their cabin.

Once there, they unloaded their belongings and Cody returned the cart to the lobby. Bailey pondered the best way for them to arrange the cabin while he was gone. When Cody returned, they both decided to push both the beds together like Zack did before Marcus' arrival. Once that was done, the both began to unpack their bags. As Bailey was hanging up things in her closet, it dawned on her. She was going to have the closet all to herself. And almost as if picking up on what she was thinking, Cody turned to her.

"Hey Bails, you have extra room in your closet for some of my things?"

Bailey turned to glare at her boyfriend when she found him grinning at her. "Very funny..."

"Sorry, Sweetie...Couldn't help myself. Actually, I have extra room over her if you need it."

Bailey was surprised. She was going from London wanting all of her closet space to Cody actually offering her space in his. "Really?"

"Sure. I've already hung up everything I'm going to and there is about a quarter of the space left..."

Bailey smiled and walked over to give Cody a kiss on the cheek. She could definitely get used to this arrangement. She decided to hang up some of her more formal dresses in Cody's closet so she wouldn't constant be intruding into his space. Cody merely joked that if anyone asked, that she admit they were hers. Bailey said she would think about it. Finally, everything was unpacked and put away either in a closet, in a drawer or in the bathroom. They decided to take the desks and have them face each other similar to a partner's desk. Both also realized that living together, there room was always going to be clean and tidy. As they were making the last minute changes and hanging up pictures in the cabin, there was a knock on the door. Cody opened it and Zack and Cassie came in.

Cassie turned to Bailey. "I'm in your room this year. Are you and I roommates this year?"

Bailey turned to Cody and back to her cousin. "Actually, I'm in here..."

Both Zack and Cassie turned to Bailey in surprise. "Huh?"

Cody and Bailey gave Cassie and Zack the brief summary of what Moseby had told them. Zack just sat there and thought.

"So, Marcus will be back next semester and I'll be with Woodchuck..."

Cody pauses, walks in to the bathroom and tosses Zack a can of air freshener. "I think you'll be needing this more than I will now..."

Zack rolls his eyes. "Gee, thanks...You get another neat freak, and I get Woody"

"Look at it this way, Zack...You thrive in a messy room. Woody thrives in a messy room. You two together is a match made in heaven..."

Zack sits back and thinks. Cody did have a point.

Cassie speaks up. "I know you two are planning on living together next year, but do you think you are ready now?"

Bailey nods. "Yeah...I mean, we essentially lived together all summer. We're already used to sharing a bed and a bathroom, I think this is going to work out just great..."

Zack grins. "Plus, you can be all alone now and not worry about being interrupted..."

Cody sighs. "Zack...You're not still on that are you?"

Cassie raises her eyebrows. "Still on what?"

Bailey sighs. "On the 4th of July, Zack got it in his head that Cody and I had ramped up our relationship..."

Cassie rolls her eyes. "Zack, leave them alone. Even if they did, its none of our business..."

Zack shrugs his shoulders. "Fine. But I could have sworn..."

"Zack..."

"Okay, okay...None of my business..."

Cody is about to say something when his cell phone begins to ring. He answers it and gives a series of affirmative responses. He closes his phone. "Woody and Addison just came aboard. They were wondering if we wanted to meet them on the sky deck."

Bailey smiled. "Sure...I've really missed them this summer."

Zack and Cassie both not and get up to head out but Cody holds Bailey back for a minute.

"I'm really looking forward to rooming with you this year. Woody's a great friend, but I won't miss being kept awake all night by...his unique take on classic rock songs..." Cody smiles. "Now, you keeping me awake at night, I won't mind at all..."

Bailiey laughs. "I'm looking forward to it too. I mean besides having the full use of a closet, I get to wake up next to the man I love every morning..."

Cody grins. "I can already tell, this is going to be a great senior year..."

Bailey grins too. "You better believe it will...and we're just getting started..."

_To be Continued..._


	2. The Fly in the Ointment

_Chapter 2_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Cody and Bailey caught up with Zack and Cassie and the four made their way to the sky deck. They found Woody and Addison at the front of the line to get their packets. Once Woody and Addison did, they found their friends and everyone welcomed each other back. They sat down at a table to catch up on everything that had happened over the summer. Woody had a smile plastered on his face. He had truly missed his friends, but he was more excited to finally be back with Addison. Cody filled in Woody and Addison on the changes that had transpired with the living arrangements, and both seemed okay with them. As Woody said, he and Cody might not be roommates anymore, but they were still across the hall.

And that's when Woody dropped the big bomb on them. He had finally seen a doctor over the summer. Seems his body was deficient in an digestive enzyme that caused his flatulence problem. Within a week of taking the enzyme supplements, Woody's problem was almost gone. And on top of that, about a month later, Woody had noticed his sense of smell coming back. The doctors couldn't figure out how it happened, but finally, they attributed it as a psychosomatic. Woody's body, after so long of dealing with his own flatulence, had shut down his sense of smell. With the flatulence gone, his body slowly allowed his sense of smell to return. Cody was happy for his friend, but part of him wished he would have discovered it two years ago.

Eventually, Woody and Addison headed out to go unpack their things, but both said they would return in a while. As they four sat there, they decided it was time to have their first smoothies in three months. Zack and Cody got up to get them, and Cassie and Bailey sat there just talking about how good it felt to be back on the ship. While they sat there, a young man walked up to them.

After reading her name on her name tag, he asked. "Bailey? Bailey Pickett, is that you?"

Bailey looked up and saw someone she didn't recognize. Very slowly, she answered. "Yes..."

The guy smiled. "Its me...Josh Masters..."

Bailey shook her head. "I'm sorry...do I know you?"

Josh laughed. "I've changed quite a bit. We went to middle school together in Kettlecorn. You sat behind me in most of my classes..."

Bailey sat back and thought. "They guy who sat in front of me was a really short guy whose nose was always in his books..."

He smiled. "Yeah, that was me!"

Bailey nods. She did remember him now. And now she wished she didn't. He was the creepy kid who sent all the girls flowers and chocolates on Valentine's Day. The kind of guy who dreamed of growing up to be a 'ladies man' like Zack used to be. "You're right, you have changed a bit. I only went to Kettlecorn High for a year, but I don't remember seeing you there either..." And she was thankful for that. Bailey had always tried to be nice, but this guy didn't understand when his gestures weren't appreciated. But, Bailey wasn't one to be rude, so she decided to fake being nice.

Josh seemed to smirk. "You wouldn't. My parents moved to Lawrence because my dad got a job at KU. I've already been accepted to KU with a full ride, so I saw this as my way to finish high school but get away from home for a while. I thought a year on the open sea sounded fun."

Bailey just nods and was thankful she wasn't alone when he had approached her. And why did he feel the need to brag to her like that? "This is my cousin, Cassie...This is my third year here and Cassie joined us at the beginning of last semester."

Cassie by now was getting an uneasy feeling from this guy. So, she just nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise...Moose isn't here, is he?"

Bailey shook her head. "Thankfully, no...I don't think I'll ever have to see him ever again..."

Josh smiles. "Good, I always thought you were too good for him anyways. I was going to ask you to the 8th grade dance, but I didn't want to risk what he might to do me..."

Bailey thought to herself that Moose had inadvertently done something helpful for once in his life. Still, she still wondered what she had been thinking. "Yeah, looking back now, I can't even fathom why I dated him..."

Josh grinned. He saw this as his long awaited chance. "So, with Moose not around, does that mean you are back on the open market?"

Bailey shook her head. What was taking Cody and Zack so long? "Nowhere near. My first year here, I met the love of my life. His name is Cody and actually Cassie is dating his twin brother, Zack." Bailey decided to try to send Josh a message to leave her alone. "Cody and I have already been accepted to Yale with full scholarships and this summer, we found a place to live together in New Haven. Both of us can't wait..."

Josh is disappointed but not deterred. "Sounds serious then..."

Bailey can't help but think about her summer with Cody and specifically the trip to New Haven. Despite her unease, she can't help but smile. "Very much so...I love him with all of my heart and soul..."

Josh is annoyed, but still hadn't given up. "So, no chance for anyone else then?"

That question breaks Bailey out of her memory. She looks at Josh and frowns. What more does she have to say? "No. None. Never."

Josh just grins. "Never say never..."

At that time, Cody and Zack have returned with the smoothies. They see a guy talking to their girlfriends, and specifically, Cody sees his girlfriend frowning.

"Is everything okay here, Bails?"

Josh turns and looks who he assumes is Cody up and down. Cody isn't as big as Moose, so Josh dismisses him as a mere roadblock. "No problem whatsoever...Just talking to an old friend..." He turns back to Bailey. "Good seeing you again, Bailey...I hope we won't be strangers...Nice meeting you too, Cassie..." With that, Josh walks away.

Cody and Zack take their seats. Cody can tell Bailey isn't happy. "Are you okay?"

Bailey sighs. "You remember the story you told us about Agnes? Well, that was Josh Masters. In middle school, he was our male version of Agnes. He flirted with every single girl, and never bought a clue..."

Cody turns to watch Josh walk away. "Want me to go have a word with him?"

Bailey grabs Cody's arm. "No, that was almost four years ago. I can only hope he's grown up some..."

Cody turns to Bailey. "Alright, but if he causes you any problems, you'll tell me right?"

Bailey smiles. "Of course, I will...If I ignore him, surely he will eventually get the idea. Right now, I just want to enjoy being back on the ship again..."

Cody smiles. "If you say so, Sweetie..."

Bailey and Cassie go to pick up their drinks, but Cody share eye contact with Zack. They both share a look that if this Josh guy doesn't get the idea, then he will have the Martin twins to deal with. Fortunately, about this time, Woody and Addison return back to the skydeck and join their friends. Everyone continues sharing stories about their summers. Cody even brings out his cell phone to show Woody and Addison the video of the apartment they found.

The night continues to proceed. All the students have the weekend to adjust to the ship. All new students are required to sit through a formal orientation on Saturday morning which is essentially a crash course on boat safety and what to expect living on a boat. But, that Friday night, there are games and contests so that everyone can mingle and get to know each other. They even have a karaoke machine set up. The six looked at each other and began to laugh. They decide to have a little fun.

It was agreed that each couple had to get up and sing a duet. However, it won't be that easy. The song had to be chosen by the other four. So, with that, everyone on the sky deck was serenaded by the vocal stylings of first Zack and Cassie. Bailey and Addison thought the song "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" would be perfect for them. Zack rolled his eyes, but he and Cassie actually pulled it off without a hitch. Next up was Woody and Addison. The song chosen for them was "You're the One That I Want". Woody was not happy about that, but he and Addison got up and performed it anyways. If anything, it was entertaining. Finally, it was Cody and Bailey's turn. And the song chosen for them was Jefferson Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". Sure, it could have been embarrassing for them all, but they didn't care. They were having fun with their friends.

Eventually, the night came to an end, and Woody and Zack walked Addison and Cassie back to their cabin. Cody and Bailey returned to theirs. As they entered their room, Cody walked up behind Bailey and wrapped his arms around her.

"You know, I think I can get used to walking you back to your cabin and not having far to walk back to mine..."

Bailey laughs. "True...But, I like it a whole lot better than you get to stay here with me..."

"Me too...So, you ready for bed?"

"Yeah, I am..."

"Good...after spending every night with you this summer, I was worried how I was going to handle not being able to sleep next to you every night on the boat..."

"I know...but we don't have to worry about that now..."

Bailey turns around and leans in to kiss Cody. However, they are interrupted by a noise coming from the door. They look over and see that someone has slid a note under the door. Bailey walks over and picks it up. She opens it and begins to read it. When she is finished reading it, there is a frown on her face.

Cody is concerned. "What's it say?"

"It says..._Meet me on the skydeck in 30 minutes to look at the stars. Love, Cody_..."

"What?"

Bailey sighs. "I bet I know who sent this..."

"You think it was...what's his name?"

"Josh...I'd almost guarantee it..."

"What do you want to do about it?"

Bailey grins. "If he wants to meet me in 30 minutes, that's exactly what he's going to get...But I don't think he's going to be happy for too long..."

_To be Continued..._


	3. The Fly Swatters

_Chapter 3_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

A half hour later, Bailey walked out on to the skydeck and made her way over to the railing. She leaned against it began to look up at the stars. She wished Cody was standing right next to her watching them with her. However, she knew she had to focus. This was her plan after all. She was determined not to let the beginning of her senior year be interrupted by Josh Masters. By the end of the night, she was going to make sure he got that message loud and clear.

Josh Masters was standing in the shadows watching Bailey. He couldn't help but smile thinking his little subterfuge was working. He was going to show her what she missed out on in middle school by dating that lummox, Moose. And now, he was going to show her that he was much better for her than that Cody guy could be. Confidently, he began to stroll over towards Bailey when he felt two hands on his shoulders.

He was turned around and found himself looking into the eyes of Cody Martin. And those eyes weren't too friendly right now. And unfortunately for Josh, he could tell that Cody was stronger than he looked. Josh was about to tell Cody to get his hands off of him, when he heard a voice behind him.

"So, tell me, Josh...what was your big idea?"

Cody turned him back around but kept Josh's hands behind his back. Josh was looking into the eyes of Bailey Pickett. If he thought Cody's eyes were unfriendly, then Bailey's were downright menacing.

"I asked you what your big idea was!"

Josh begin to stammer. Obviously, his plan wasn't working as well as he thought it was. "I...I...I just wanted some alone time with you to show you that I could be good for you if you gave me a chance..."

Bailey glared at him. "What part of me telling you that I was in love with Cody didn't you understand?"

"I...I...I..."

"Josh, I'm only going to say this one more time. I LOVE Cody. He's my boyfriend. Now tell me, do you understand that?"

Josh can do nothing but nod.

"I want to hear you say it!"

"I...I...I understand..."

Bailey smiles. "Good. I tried being nice about it earlier and even back in middle school. All the girls did. But I'm going to say this one more time so that we're clear. I'm not interested in you or any other guy but Cody. And I never will be!"

"But..."

"No buts! Do you really want to start out your senior year on a bad foot? I must warn you. Cody and I know Mr. Moseby and Miss Tutweiler pretty well. I don't think they would like to hear that a new student has been harassing another student on the first day, do you?"

Josh shakes his head. "No..."

"Good. Now, I will give you one final chance to say what you want to say, and after that, I don't want you to ever speak to me or Cody ever again..."

Josh sighs. "You've changed. You aren't the sweet girl you used to be!"

Cody proceeds to add some more pressure by pulling his arms closer together behind his back. "That wasn't very nice. Bailey is the sweetest, kindest, most down to earth person I've ever met. Beyond that, I'm crazy in love with her. So, I think you should apologize to the lady..."

Josh grumbles. "Sorry..."

Bailey smiles. "Thank you, Sweetie, I appreciate your words, but they aren't necessary here. What he thinks about me is something I could care less about..." She turns back to Josh. "Now, do I have your word that you will leave us alone the rest of the year?"

Josh smirks. "What happens when you run back to me begging me?"

Cody adds even more pressure. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" Cody turns to Bailey. "Do I have your permission to escort him to the sewage flap?"

Bailey shakes her head. "I don't think that will be necessary. You see, I don't think Josh is that stupid. All it will take is a few words with a few of the ship's resident gossipers and his reputation will be known by every girl on this ship before classes start on Monday. Now, Josh...do you really want to live your entire senior year as a leper?"

Josh is taken aback. "You wouldn't!"

Bailey grins. "I will. You see, Josh. I try to be a very easy going, laid back kind of person..."

Cody agrees. "That she is..."

"But the one thing that angers me is people who try to cause problems for Cody and myself. With those people, I've lost all of my patience. You just picked the wrong time to mess with us. But since this is the beginning of our senior years, I'm feeling generous. The decision is your...You go on with your life and we all pretend that other doesn't exist or I spread the word first thing in the morning. What's it going to be?"

Josh sighs. He knew when it was time to fold. "Fine!"

Bailey smiles. "I know you would see it our way. Of course, if you think you can go try to spin this in your favor afterwards, there are two of us and one of you. Beyond that, you're the new guy here. I think people will take our word..."

Cody turns Josh away from Bailey and releases his arms. "Nice not knowing you, Josh..."

Josh sulks off rubbing his shoulders. Cody turns back to Bailey and is unable to control his laughing.

Bailey smiles. "What?"

"Remind me to never get on your bad side..."

"Oh please...What about you? You were trying to turn him into a human pretzel!"

"Its like you said. I have absolutely no tolerance for anyone who wants to cause us problems. I just hope he learned his lesson, or next time I'll bring mustard with me..."

Bailey laughs. "What am I going to do with you?"

Cody smiles. "Whatever you want as long as you keep on loving me..."

Bailey wraps her arms around Cody's neck. "That's one thing you will never have to worry about...". Bailey leans in and kisses Cody.

"Not again!"

Bailey and Cody pull apart and look to see Kirby standing there.

"What did I tell you two about making out on the skydeck?"

Cody tries to suppress laughter. "Sorry, Kirby...We'll call it a night..." Cody turns to Bailey and winks. "Let me walk you back to your cabin..."

Bailey too is trying suppress laughter. "I'd like that...Goodnight, Kirby."

Bailey and Cody make their way back to their cabin and get back inside. They turn to each other and finally let out the laughs they were holding back. Bailey shakes her head.

"Poor Kirby..."

"What do you mean?"

"He's probably getting tired of catching us in compromising positions..."

Cody pauses. "I guess it hasn't fully sunk in yet that we don't have to sneak on to the skydeck to be alone anymore..."

Bailey nods. "Yeah, you're right..." She then smiles. "Though it did seem just like old times..."

Cody smiles. "Very true...And I have to admit, you are very sexy when you are being feisty..."

Bailey sighs. "Do you think we were to rough on Josh?"

Cody shakes his head. "No, I don't. You said he was like Agnes. Last spring, we saw firsthand what happens when you don't nip things like this in the bud..."

Bailey nods. "You're right..."

Cody lifts Bailey's chin. "But the fact that you are worried about it just proves again what kind of person you are..."

"Yeah?"

Cody smiles. "Yes. It just shows you are the most beautiful person I've ever known inside and out..."

Bailey smiles. "Thank you, Codykins...I guess I was just raised to always try to see the good in everyone..."

"I thank God everyday that you saw something in me..."

"And I keep seeing more and more that I like...no, that I love everyday..."

Cody leans in and kisses Bailey. When they break apart, Bailey smiles. "What was that for?"

Cody smiles. "I just had the overwhelming urge to continue what we started on the skydeck..."

"Do I really get to spend every night alone with you for the rest of my life?"

"You sure do...If I have anything to say about it..." Cody leans in and begins to kiss Bailey again.

_To be Continued..._


	4. The First Day of School

_Chapter 4_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Cody and Bailey were both woken up by the rooster alarm clock at 6:00 that Monday morning. Both stretched before leaning in for a good morning kiss. Cody told Bailey he would go first and would wake her back up when he was done with the shower. Cody drug himself out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. After turning on the water, he quickly disrobed and stepped underneath the warm water. Initially, he let it wake him up before he proceeded to lather and wash. Finally he, shampooed and conditioned his hair. Turning off the water, he grabbed his towel and quickly dried himself. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he returned back into the cabin and gently woke Bailey back up.

Like Cody, she slowly got out of bed and made her way into the bathroom. She too turned on the water and disrobed. Climbing into the shower, she heard the bathroom door open and Cody walk back in. As Bailey was letting the warm water wake her as well, she peered out of the side of the shower curtain and watched Cody lathering his face with shaving cream. She wasn't quite sure why, but watching him shave in the mornings fascinated her. This was the routine they had grown accustomed to. With Cody only needing to shave every other day, he would always shower first and shave while Bailey showered. And in the days he didn't, the bathroom was hers first.

She even remembered the morning she asked if she could do it for him. Bailey had felt so bad for the few nicks he had received because of it. But Cody had only smiled and said she had done a better job than he had the first time he shaved. She had even offered to let him return the favor with her legs, but he had declined. He had smiled and said he would never forgive himself if he accidentally nicked her beautiful legs. Those thoughts made Bailey smile, and she resumed her shower. She loved how comfortable they could be with each other, and both had lost their modesty in the other's presence. After she had finished soaping, rinsing, shampooing and rinsing again. She turned off the water and turned in time to see Cody throwing her towel over top of the shower curtain rod.

She dried off and wrapped her towel around her. As she came out, she saw Cody applying toothpaste to both of their toothbrushes. As she walked over to the sink next to him, he handed her toothbrush to her. They just stood side by side brushing their teeth alternating time to spit. Once that was done, they both got out their floss. To both, it always brought back memories of the harvest festival. Following that, the both added their deodorant. Next was what Bailey always found adorable. Cody would always check to see if he had any new chest hairs. He was always excited when he thought he found a new one. But Bailey didn't care, he was just fine the way he was. Of course, she would be lying if she didn't enjoy looking at his now firmer chest, shoulders and arms.

Eventually, they both returned to the cabin and put last nights clothes in the hamper. Both went for their drawers to grab their under garments. That was another thing both had become a lot more comfortable with. Bailey couldn't help but smile when she remembered Cody explained why he considered a certain pair of boxers his lucky ones. When she asked why, he smiled and said they were the pair he was wearing when she first kissed him and also happened to be the same pair he was wearing when she first told him she loved him. And Bailey was glad he was a boxers man. They just looked so much better on him. Of course, this went both ways. Cody had always told her that she looked amazing in her bra and panties, but she couldn't help but notice that certain ones just held his gaze longer than others. Bailey was glad that he still thought she looked sexy even though she had mainly chosen the ones she had due to comfort. But, in the back of her mind, she wondered what his reaction would be if she wore something a little more...daring. She decided when the time was right, she would find out.

Both finished getting dressed and began to gather up their book bags. After all, it was the first day of school. Unlike other years, this year would be different. Seven Seas High was on the semester credit hour schedule. So, unlike some schools where you needed a total of 20-24 credits to graduate, Seven Seas High required 44 credits. Well, Cody and Bailey weren't that far away from that number. Due to the extra classes they had taken each of their four semesters and from their freshman years in Boston and Kettlecorn respectively, each already had 36 credits. So, their senior years, they only needed to average four classes a semester. So, that's what they were looking at. Each was to have three classes before lunch and then only one right afterwards. And of course, they had scheduled all of their classes together. There were only two classes they really had to take, so each got to choose one of the other electives. So, they only had to prepare for AP English, AP American History, AP Environmental Science (Bailey's choice) and AP U.S. Government and Politics (Cody's choice). As it would turn out, they would have both AP English and AP American History with all of their friends and Miss Tutweiler would be their teacher for AP American History and AP U.S. Government and Politics.

Cody and Bailey weren't the only ones with a reduced schedule though. London was only four credits shy of graduating. So, she was going to take two classes a semester and then spend her afternoons... well, being London.

Checking their watches, Cody and Bailey noticed it was still a few minutes before 7:00 AM. They decided to head up and grab a quick breakfast before heading to AP English. Bailey couldn't help but sigh. She had never minded the food in the ships cafeteria, but Cody's cooking over the summer had spoiled her. She knew no matter what she got that morning, it was going to be a letdown. Before heading up, Cody knocked on the door across the hall from their cabin. Once Zack opened it half asleep, Cody simply told him it was his wake up call. Zack mumbled something incoherent and slammed the door. Cody shrugged, and he and Bailey made their way to the higher deck.

Once a quick yet healthy breakfast was finished, Cody and Bailey made their way towards the actual classrooms. When they arrived at the designated room, they were the first ones to arrive. This was fine by them as that mean they got to choose the seats they wanted. They chose the row farthest from the door and picked the first two seats. Bailey would sit in front with Cody right behind her. As they waited, the teacher, Mr. Ferguson finally came in. Mr. Ferguson could best be described as someone who watched Dead Poets Society one too many times. He was well meaning, but sometimes just tried way too hard to inspire his students.

Eventually, everyone finally rolled into the class. Zack and Woody were the last two to enter, and both were still sporting wet hair. Cody just shook his head. Eventually class began, and most of the first class was spent going through what they would be focusing on for the semester. Mr. Ferguson said by the end of the semester, he hoped to see everyone's reading and writing skills improve. Most of the actual reading of books, poetry and plays wouldn't come until the spring semester. To end his first class, he assigned everyone a simple task – write in what ever format they chose about what they did over the summer.

Once class was over, everyone moved on to their next class if they had one scheduled. For Cody and Bailey, that was going to be AP Environmental Science. It was a class that Bailey was really looking forward to especially after her summer internship. The teacher for this class was Mr. Green. Yes, the irony of a class about the environment taught by someone with the last name Green was not lost on most people. The class was pretty straightforward and would be dealing with current impacts on the environment. The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico would be a large topic of the class and how it was impacting the lives of both people who lived along the gulf as well as the flora and fauna indigenous to that area. For some reason, Cody couldn't help thinking that Mr. Green had to be related to Arwin. They were so similar in some ways. Mr. Green decided he wasn't going to give them homework, but asked everyone to be prepared to have a roundtable discussion the next day on their initial impressions of the oil spill.

It was now 10 AM, and Cody and Bailey had a free hour. They both decided to head back to the cabin to get to work on their English homework. They rationed they could do it that afternoon or go ahead and get it done now. So, for the next forty five minutes, the worked facing each other typing away at their laptops. Both thought it sounded like a good idea if they selected certain days that had stood out to them and write them as journal entries. They both finished up right as it was time to head on to their next class.

Cody and Bailey entered Miss Tutweiler's classroom and began to prepare themselves for AP History. This would be the other class they had with all of their friends. They both knew that having Tut for their teacher had its advantages and disadvantages. On one side, they already knew how to write papers she liked and how to answer her tests. On the other, they weren't sure if they could put up with hearing her talk and talk about her nonexistent love life. This class eventually began, but something was definitely different. Miss Tutweiler had a new aura of confidence to her. If people didn't know better, they could have sworn she actually had a boyfriend now. And not once did she mention her love life or her mother's constant intrusions into it. Cody and Bailey glanced at each other in confusion. Something was up. The first class seemed to proceed fairly smoothly, and at the end, everyone was assigned to read chapter one in their textbooks.

Once class was dismissed, everyone headed to the cafeteria for lunch. It was a time for everyone to just hang out and talk about their days so far. London even joined them, but mainly it was her chance to talk to her two employees and let them know that it was time to start back to work. She told Bailey to be at the store at 4:00 PM. Basically, her schedule would be Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00 to 9:00. That was fine with Bailey. That mean she would have all of her weekends off. London then turned to Cody that it was time to begin Yay Me! again. They would try to schedule them for Tuesdays at 5:00 PM. Cody nodded, but he turned to Bailey. They both shared a look trying to figure out why London now was trying to be so organized.

Finally, it was time for Cody and Bailey to head for their last class for the day. Again, Miss Tutweiler was their teacher and her odd behavior continued. She promised AP U.S. Government and Politics would be an interesting class that she planned on making as hands on as possible. She explained there would be numerous group projects on a variety of topics ranging from the possible effects of the emerging Tea Party to comparing the U.S. Government model with those of other countries. Again, Tut assigned everyone to read the first chapter in their textbooks.

As they left the classroom, Cody and Bailey were officially done for the day. Bailey had two hours before she had to head to One of a Kind. So, they both headed back to the cabin to finish their homework for the day. They both finished around 3:30, and Bailey began to get ready to head to work. Cody asked if she wanted to wait to get dinner after she got off, or if she wanted him to drop something by for her. Bailey thought about it and said she would meet him in the dining room just after 9:00. And with that Bailey went off to work.

While Bailey was working, Cody found himself bored. He was so used to spending most of his time with Bailey, he was missing her. He knew he was being silly and that he would see her in a few hours. But, he knew he just liked it a whole lot better when she was around. So, Cody found himself hanging out at the smoothie bar with Zack.

Eventually, 9:00 PM arrived and Cody made his way to the dining room. As it was only an hour until curfew, the dining hall was pretty empty. Cody grabbed a table and went ahead and ordered Bailey's favorite drink. The waiter brought over the drinks just as Bailey arrived. It had only been five hours, but Cody immediately lit up when he saw Bailey again. And Bailey immediately lit up when she finally spotted Cody. She sat with him and they proceeded to have their dinner with Bailey telling Cody about some of the interesting things that happened at the store. At about 9:50, they paid their bill with their student cards and made their way hand in hand back to their cabin.

Once their, they both just sat back and relaxed. They put a DVD into one of their laptops to watch before bed and laid back to watch it, intertwined together. Before the movie was over, they both realized they were getting tired, so they turned it off. They both proceeded to put on their pajamas and climbed back into bed. As they laid there together, they both just leisurely talked about their days and the fact that their senior years had officially started. Both could feel sleep beginning to overtake them. Cody pulled Bailey closer into his arms and whispered to her that he loved her and wished her a goodnight. Bailey sighed and murmured to Cody that she she loved him too. Soon, both felt their eyes grow heavy as both slipped into their respective slumbers.

Their first day was over and soon, they would wake up to begin it all over again.

_To be Continued..._


	5. A Blast from the Past

_Chapter 5_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

The first few weeks of classes seemed to fly by. And as classes continued, so did the S.S. Tipton's initial voyage of the school year. By the time the beginning of October approached, the ship found itself again cruising the Mediterranean after a brief stop in Monaco. Monaco was fun and all, but with all the students being 18 or under, their options were limited. So, mostly, everyone just enjoyed time at the local beaches.

With everyone being back on deck though, Zack and Cassie found themselves walking through the lobby on their way to class when they noticed a new sign had been posted. It was announcing the upcoming 2nd Annual Miss S.S. Tipton Pageant. Zack could do nothing but shake his head.

Cassie noticed this. "What? Something against beauty pageants?"

Zack sighed. "No, nothing like that. I just have lasting memories of the first one..."

Cassie raised her eyebrows. "Yeah? What happened?"

"Let's just say it happened back before I met you and I was still a little...immature..."

Cassie laughed. "What did you do?"

"Let's just say the original pageant was my idea of a wait to meet girls..."

"And how did that work out for you?"

"Disasterous. It ended with Woody, Marcus and I doing our own swimsuit competition for several angry contestants..."

Cassie laughs. "Awwww...Poor baby..."

"Yeah, looking back, it wasn't my best idea. The girl I was flirting with couldn't even carry a thought if it had a handle..."

Cassie teases. "Should I be worried about you flirting with more contestants this time?"

Zack grins. "Nope...Unless you decide to enter it, then I will be flirting with you like crazy..."

Cassie laughs. "I don't think so...I've never really been a beauty pageant kind of girl..."

Zack pauses. "Too bad...I think you would have a great shot of winning..."

"Really?"

"Of course..."

Cassie smiles. "Maybe I'll think about it...Who won the last one anyways?"

"Bailey did..."

"Bailey was in the pageant?"

"Yeah, I think London taunted her into it or something like that..."

Cassie nods. "Well, good for her then..."

"Well, if we don't hurry, we are going to be late for Mr. Awkapenny's class...and if we are again, it won't be good for us..."

Zack and Cassie turn to head towards the classroom when the literally run into someone. In a great collision, everyone is knocked to the floor. After everyone finally shakes the cobwebs off and stands back up, Zack notices that the person they ran into is an extremely attractive young lady about their age. She looks slightly familiar, but Zack can't place her. Conversely, the young woman finally gets a good look at who she crashed into and a huge smile forms on her face.

"Oh my gosh!"

Zack and Cassie look at each other and the back at the girl. "Are you alright?"

"Don't you remember me?"

Zack shakes his head. "I can't say I do..."

The girl frowns. "I thought for sure you would remember me, Cody..."

Zack begins to laugh. "Ummm...Sorry, you've got the wrong guy. I'm Zack, Cody is my twin brother..."

The young girl is shocked at first then she smiles. "That's right, he was a twin...Is he here on board somewhere?"

"Yeah, his last class of the day is over, but you might want to check the skydeck..." But before Zack could finish, the young girl was off.

Cassie turned to Zack. "Who was that?"

Zack shrugged. "I have no idea...but she seems to remember Cody for some reason..."

_Meanwhile, on the skydeck_

The young woman arrives on the skydeck and begins to look around. She sees no sight of Cody anywhere. Not that she knows exactly what he looks like now, but she has a good idea. She sees a large man dressed in a security officer's uniform, so she decides to see if he knows Cody.

"Excuse me?"

The large man turns to her. "Yes, ma'am?"

"I was hoping you can help me..."

The man smiles. "Just name it...Kirby Morris here to help in any way I can!"

She smiles. "Good, there is a young man I am looking for, I don't know if you know him..."

"Just give me a name and I will see if I can help..."

"His name is Cody Martin..."

The man smiles. "Of course I know Cody. Not only did he help me pass my high school equivalency test, he's also my accountant..."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Cody's a good kid...Do you know him?"

"Sort of...We met several years ago. Actually, I hadn't thought about him at all until a couple of months ago. Then, I was in a beauty pageant with a girl named Tyreesha. I hadn't heard that name in almost six years, but it immediately made me remember Cody. And then a little while ago, I thought a ran into him, but turns out it was his brother..."

Kirby nods. "You met Zack then..."

The girls smiles. "That I did...So, do you happen to know where Cody is right now? For some reason, I can't wait to see him again..."

Kirby pauses. "Let me think. He's probably with..." Kirby looks over and sees Cody walking on to the skydeck. "Well, there is he is right there..." Kirby points to where Cody has just walked on to the skydeck.

She smiles. "Thank you ever so much, Kirby!"

_10 minutes before_

Cody and Bailey have left their last class for the day. They are walking back to their cabin, enjoying a day without any homework. However, Bailey has to be at One of a Kind in a couple of hours. Cody turns to Bailey.

"Since we have some time to waste, how about we head up to the skydeck?"

Bailey nods. "Sure, sounds like fun...Oh, wait. I don't have my new name tag with me for work. Why don't I run and get it and meet you up there?"

"You sure? I have no problem going with you..."

Bailey smiles. "I'm sure, but I appreciate the offer..."

Cody smiles. "Okay...You want me to order a smoothie with two straws?"

"With an extra shot of fiber?"

"Is there any other way?"

Bailey laughs. "Go on, get out of here...I'll see you in a few minutes..."

Cody leans in and kisses Bailey. "A few minutes with out you feels like hours..."

Bailey giggles as she heads down the stairs and Cody heads up them.

_Present Time_

Cody is about to walk on the skydeck when he notices his shoe is untied. He pauses to tie it and then makes his way towards the smoothie bar. As he is halfway there, he hears someone shout his name. He looks around to see where it is coming from, but doesn't see anything until a blur is upon him. The next thing he knows, someone has wrapped their arms around his neck and has pressed their lips against his own.

Once the initial shock wears off, he breaks free from the embrace and tries to figure out what just happened. He looks up and sees a beautiful young woman in front of him. Thought he hasn't seen that face in a long time, he instantly recognizes who it is.

"Rebecca?"

Rebecca smiles. "You do remember me!"

Cody stammers. "Yeah...you just surprised me. I was actually waiting for my girlfriend..." Cody turns back to the entrance of the skydeck and sees the most painful sight in the world to him...Bailey staring at him and crying.

_To be Continued..._


	6. An Understanding and a Proposal

_Chapter 6_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Cody saw Bailey run off and everything else faded into the background. He immediately ran after her. Obviously, her jogging had paid off because no matter what, Cody couldn't catch up to her. He arrived at their cabin door only to find it slammed in his face. He sighed and pulled out his own key and entered the cabin. Looking around, he didn't see her and his attention immediately went to the closed bathroom door. He walked over to it and knocked on it.

"Bailey?"

From behind the door, he heard an angry shout. "Go away!"

Cody pauses. "Bails, I don't know what you saw, but there is an explanation behind it. Please, let me tell you what happened..."

"Why should I?"

"Because you are a fair person. And you know me...better than anyone. You can't tell me you honestly think I would intentionally do something like that..."

Nothing but silence from the other side of the door.

Cody sighed. "If you will come out, I promise to tell you the truth and nothing but the truth..."

Still nothing happened. Cody felt his heart begin to race. He had to explain that what she saw was an accident. He had done nothing wrong.

"Bailey, I know you. You believe in the concept of innocence until proven guilty. Do I not at least get a chance to defend myself and explain what happened?"

Again, nothing.

"Bailey, you know I love you. You know I would never intentionally hurt you. Haven't I proved over the past year and a half that you can trust me?"

Still nothing. Cody sighed and pulled out his desk chair. He knew she would have to come out eventually. After all, she did have to work in a little over an hour. Finally, the door did open and Bailey came out, and it was obvious to Cody that she had been crying. He immediately leaped out his chair and went to her. However, she pushed him away.

"Bails...please, listen to me...You didn't see what you thought you saw..."

Bailey looked up with hurt in her eyes. "You're saying I didn't see you kissing another girl?"

"No, you didn't..."

Bailey looks at Cody incredulously. "But I saw you!"

Cody tries to say calm. "No, you saw her kiss me. I was not an active participant. I was on my way to the smoothie bar to get the smoothie for us when I heard my name being called. I looked around to see where it was coming from and the next thing I know, she was essentially tackling me and kissing me..."

Bailey pauses. "Really?"

"I swear, Bailey. I will swear on anything you want me to, but that is exactly what happened..."

"It looked like you knew who she was..."

Cody nodded. "I do know who she is...Her name is Rebecca..."

Bailey wipes the tears from her eye. "How do you know her?"

"You remember when I told you I had been in a beauty pageant before. Well, that's where I know her from. I guess I was about 12 or 13 years old. You know that when we were younger, Zack always made himself off as the ladies man. Well, I was late coming to the game when it came to girls. Anyways, the Boston Tipton was hosting a beauty pageant one week not longer after we moved to Boston. Well, I met Rebecca and I was smitten with her. That's the first time in my life that had happened to me. I wanted to try to get to know her better, and I ended up going backstage to try to talk to her. Well, I almost got caught and had to think quick. So, I put on a wig and pretended to be another one of the contestants named Tyreesha. For some reason, I actually had a chance of winning and all Zack could see was dollar signs so we could get new bikes. Well, I found out Rebecca was competing so she could save up money for vet school so she could open up an animal hospital for underprivileged animals. My conscience got the better of me, and I decided to throw the pageant. And I was going to until Zack found out what I was planning on doing. He proceeded to lock me in a metal cabinet and took my place out on stage. Well, I eventually got out and confronted him on stage. Needless to say, the wig fell off of him and Tyreesha was disqualified from the contest. Rebecca found out what we had tried to do, and she was upset. I thought that was the last I would see of her, but before she left, she found me again. She had found out I was going to try to throw the pageant and wanted to apologize for calling me a jerk. She proceeded to kiss me...my first ever kiss. And I never saw her again until about thirty minutes ago..."

Bailey pauses. "She was your first kiss? You must always remember that moment then..."

Cody shakes his head. "Actually, I don't. Until I saw her a few minutes ago, I hadn't thought about her since about a month after I last saw her...I had forgotten all about her..."

"So, seeing her again...what feelings does that bring back?"

"None. Remember, this was almost six years ago. To quote you, I was young and dumb..."

Bailey can't help but laugh. "I did say that, didn't I?"

"Bails, since I met you, I've have not thought about another girl at all..."

"But Cody, she was your first kiss...Everybody remembers that..."

Cody smiles. "Do I need to remind you of all the firsts you were for me? The first woman I've ever truly loved...The first woman I've ever been able to truly be myself with...The first woman I've risked my own life for...The first and only woman I will ever make love to...The first woman I've wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Now, you tell me...Compared to all of those, where do you think my first ever kiss ranks?"

"Okay, okay...I get it..."

"So, do you believe me?"

"Yes...I do. I guess just the thought of seeing you kissing another woman just shook me to my core..."

"Bails, you are the only woman I want to kiss. Every time you kiss me, its means exponentially more to me than a kiss I got when I was 13..."

"Really?"

"Of course. Because I love you. And you know what else?"

"What?"

"I've seen pictures of you when you were the same age. I can guarantee if I had known you then, I would have fallen for you immediately and never noticed another girl..."

Bailey smiles. "You think so?"

Cody smiles. "I know so...You've had my heart from the very beginning...well, you know, ever since I knew you were a girl..."

Bailey sighs. "I'm sorry for overreacting..."

Cody pulls Bailey into a hug. "Don't be. I know if I had seen you kissing another guy, I would have been devastated..."

"That won't ever happen..."

"So, are we good?"

"Yeah, we're good...Why is she here anyways?"

Cody shakes his head. "I don't know. Once I saw you, I immediately ran after you. I guess I kind of forgot she was there..."

Bailey sighs. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"Nothing until I make sure you are alright..."

"I'm fine...I promise. You told me the truth, and I believe you...You're still my Codykins..."

Cody smiles. "I never thought I'd be so happy to hear that name..."

"I guess I should be getting to work before I'm late. What are you going to do?"

"Well, if you don't mind, I think I should go talk to her and make sure she knows she can't be doing that again..."

Bailey nods. "Probably a good idea..."

_Back on the skydeck_

Rebecca is still standing there trying to figure out what had just happened. Cody ran out of there like he was shot from a gun. One thing she did know was that kiss was something special. She looked forward to being able to do it again. She couldn't help but think it was fate that had reminded her of Cody and then brought her to the place that he was. She wanted to talk to him. She had to know what he felt about it. But one thing still stuck out in her mind. He mentioned the word "girlfriend." She shouldn't be surprised thought. Cody had turned into a very handsome young man; it was no surprise some other girl would want him too. But Rebecca still came back to fate. She truly believed it was telling her that she and Cody had been reunited for a reason. She didn't know who this current girlfriend of his was, but it wouldn't last long if she had anything to say about it. However, Rebecca's thoughts were soon to be interrupted.

"Was that Cody Martin I saw you kissing earlier?"

Rebecca broke away from her thoughts to turn and find a young man studying her.

"Yes, it was..."

"Good. My name is Josh Masters...I think you and I should talk. We might be able to help each other..."

_To be Continued..._

**Author's Note: I thought people would know by now from my stories that I have a method to my madness. All fluff can be boring, but it also has its place. Just like all drama can be as well.**


	7. Taking a Chance

_Chapter 7_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Cody and Bailey are walking just outside of One of a Kind. Cody is ecstatic to finally see Bailey smile again. And on top of that, she is even laughing again some. However, as she happens to glance at her reflection in the glass, she sighs.

"Look at my eyes...Its obvious I've been crying..."

Cody turns her around so he can look into her eyes. "I'm sorry about that..."

"Don't be...I know you didn't do anything wrong...It was just one of those things that happen."

"Still, I feel bad about it...You still look beautiful to me, but if you want, I can go get you some eye drops..."

Bailey smiles. "No, that's okay. I think London keeps some in the back anyways."

"If you say so...Is there anything else I can do?"

"Cody, you don't have to do anything. You have nothing to make up for..."

Cody sighs. "I feel like I do though...I just keep thinking if there was any way I could have avoided it..."

"There wasn't...Now, let's both forget it ever happened..."

As they are talking, someone walks past them and proceeds to tape a sign to the window outside of One of a Kind. Naturally, this draws Cody and Bailey's attention.

"Look at that, Sweetie...the 2nd Annual Miss. S.S. Tipton Pageant...You going to defend your crown?"

Bailey laughs. "I don't think so...Once was enough for me."

"Bails...You won..."

"I know, but I proved to myself what I needed to then. I don't have anything left to prove..."

Cody takes Bailey's hand in his. "Bails, you don't have to prove anything to anyone..." Cody pauses. "Maybe its good you won't be be defending your crown though..."

"Why's that?"

Cody smiles. "Well, I kind of like keeping the most brilliant, the most beautiful and the most talented girl all to myself..."

Bailey smiles. "Thank you..."

At that moment, Mr. Moseby walks by and sees Cody and Bailey.

"Ahhh...Just the person I was looking for...As you can see, we are having another pageant, I was going to make sure we had last year's winner back in the fold..."

Bailey shakes her head. "Sorry, Mr. Moseby...I'm out. I have no desire to compete again..."

Moseby sighs. "Very well...Can we at least count on you to be there to present the new winner with her flowers and crown?"

Bailey smiles. "That I can do..."

Moseby smiles. "Excellent. Well, since you aren't competing, that may make my next task easier..." Moseby turns to Cody. "Cody, would you consider being one of our judges?"

Cody turns to Bailey. "Are you sure? If you change your mind, there is no way I can be a judge. I'd be way too biased..."

Bailey smiles. "I'm sure...Besides, they couldn't find a more fair and honest judge..."

Cody smiles. "Alright then...Consider me in, Mr. Moseby..."

_Meanwhile on the skydeck_

Rebecca is looking Josh up and down. "You think we can help each other? I don't see how because you don't even know who I am..."

Josh grins. "Maybe not, but its obvious you have a thing for Cody Martin..."

"I just saw him for the first time in almost six years...why would you think I had a thing for him?"

"For one, the look on your face says everything..."

Rebecca pauses. "So what if I do...What's in it for you?"

Josh smiles. "Simple. Pure good old fashioned revenge..."

"Revenge?"

"Yes...I could give two shakes about Cody Martin, but I want to make Bailey Pickett pay..."

Rebecca is confused. "Who is Bailey Pickett?"

Josh sighs. "Cody's girlfriend and according to her, he is the love of her life..."

Rebecca pauses. "What did she ever do to you?"

Josh smirks. "Let's just say she threatened to make my life a living hell. I just want to return the favor..."

"Look, I don't even know who she is...I don't know that I have any desire to ruin someone's life..."

"Even if it means getting the guy you want?"

Rebecca sighs. "I'm sorry...I have to believe there is another way..."

"Suit yourself...But I know you'll be changing your mind. Don't wait too long..." And with that Josh walks off.

Rebecca moves over to a table and sits down. She begins to think. Has she gone crazy? She hadn't thought about Cody in years. She didn't really know him at all. They had spent less than a week together and most of the time she thought he was a girl. But still, there was that kiss. Was the potential of that kiss worth destroying someone else's life over? And what if whatever that Josh guy was thinking didn't work. Rebecca just didn't know.

"Hey..."

Rebecca looks up and sees Cody standing next to her. "Cody..."

"I think we need to talk..."

Rebecca nods. "You kind of ran away the last time pretty quick..."

Cody nods. "Yes, I did. I didn't want my girlfriend to get the wrong idea..."

"What did you tell her?"

"The truth..."

Rebecca sighs. "Look, I'm sorry if I got a little too excited seeing you again..."

Cody nods. "Understandable...Just in the future, you might want to tone down you excitement level..."

Rebecca pauses. "How did she take it?"

"Well, once I explained what happened, she finally believed me that it was nothing..."

"Nothing?"

"Yeah, nothing...I mean, it was like you said. Just too excited to see someone..."

Rebecca laughs. "So...it didn't knock your socks off?"

Cody laughs back. "Sorry...Only kisses from my girlfriend do that..."

"Tell me about her..."

Cody smiles. "She's the most amazing person I've ever met...She's the total package – beauty, brains and a heart of gold..."

"Sounds serious..."

"It is. She's my whole world. We've both been accepted to Yale next year and are planning on spending our lives together. I never knew it was possible to love someone so much..."

Rebecca forces a smile. "That's nice..."

"What about you? What have you been up to the last six years?"

"Pageants, pageants and more pageants..."

"Getting close to having enough for vet school?"

Rebecca smiled. "You remembered..."

"Yeah, I remember that's the only reason you were in the pageant in the first place..."

"I only need one more win and I will have enough saved..."

"That's great...When is your next one?"

"This Saturday...The Miss S.S. Tipton Pageant."

Cody pauses. "You're entered in the pageant here?"

"Of course...that's why I'm here..."

"You know, Bailey won the pageant last year. She was amazing..."

"You keep using that word...So, will I be competing against her on Saturday?"

Cody shakes his head. "No, she decided against it, and I supported her decision..." Cody pauses to think. "Rebecca, I was just asked to be a judge for that pageant. I shouldn't be associating with you. I don't want to give the appearance of impropriety to any other contestant...(under his breath) or Bailey..."

"Oh..."

"Look, I hope you have fun while on the boat and I wish you luck in your future endeavors..."

Rebecca frowns. "We can't keep in touch afterwards?"

Cody pauses. "Well, I guess that would be okay...I suppose it would be alright to exchange numbers..."

And that is what they did. And with that, Cody was off.

Rebecca was sitting there reflecting on what Cody had just told her. Sure, he said he loved his girlfriend. But he did remember why she was doing pageants. That had to mean something right? And he was still as sweet and forthright as ever. She knew guys like that were rare. Her last boyfriend had been a real jerk. What would it be like to have someone that sweet and caring? Something inside her told her it was time to take a chance.

"Changed your mind yet?"

Rebecca looked up again and saw Josh. She paused but eventually nodded.

Josh grins. "Excellent...Here's my plan..."

_To be Continued..._


	8. The Challenge

_Chapter 8_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Cody sat in his room playing around on his computer. He didn't really have anything to do, so he decided to go ahead and work on the AP English paper he had due in a few weeks. As he sat there typing, he heard a knock on his door. After yelling that it was open, he turned to see Zack walking in.

"What's up, Zack?"

"There was some girl looking for you earlier today. At first, she thought I was you..."

Cody sighs. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know who it was..."

"Who?"

"You remember Rebecca?"

Zack pauses. "Nope."

"You remember years ago the beauty pageant at the Tipton that I or we almost won?"

"Oh yeah. Wait a minute...Now I remember, she was the girl you were crushing on!"

"Yup..."

"Dude, she's turned into a hottie!"

Cody glares at his brother. "I've already got a hottie as you say..."

"Dude...what's wrong with you?"

"Lets just say the first time Bailey saw Rebecca could have gone better..."

"What happened?"

"I was supposed to meet Bailey on the skydeck for a smoothie. Well, I was on my way to the smoothie counter when I heard my name. I looked around trying to find out where it was coming from and next thing I know, Rebecca has her arms around my neck and she's kissing me..."

"Dude!"

"And while she was doing that, Bailey arrived just then and saw the whole thing..."

"Ohh...dude..."

"Tell me about it..."

"What did Bailey do?"

"She ran back here and I had to do whatever I could to make her see what really happened..."

"Did she buy your story?"

Cody sighs. "It wasn't a story, it was the truth...and I think she believes me..."

"What's this Rebecca doing here anyways?"

"She's going to be in the Miss S.S. Tipton Pageant."

"Yeah, Cassie and I saw the poster for that. I'm trying to talk Cassie into entering."

Cody rubbed his eyes. "Great..."

Zack looked offended. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Its just after Bailey said she wasn't going to be in the pageant again, Moseby asked me to be one of the judges..."

"Ohhh..."

"If Cassie decides she wants to enter, she has my full support. But, I have to be a completely fair judge..."

Zack grins. "Come on, bro...Just a little favoritism for your favorite brother's girlfriend?"

"Zack, you're my only brother...Which makes you my favorite brother...as well as my least favorite brother..."

Zack laughs. "Okay, okay...Actually, it is reassuring that if she enters, she won't be subjected to back stage politics..."

Cody smirks. "Like Bailey was last year?"

"Hey, she still won, didn't she?"

"No thanks to you..."

Zack pauses. "Do you think you can be a fair judge with this Rebecca girl in the pageant?"

Cody stares at Zack again. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I just remember what you did the last time..."

"We were 13! A lot has happened in my life since then..."

"She was your first kiss..."

Cody responds without thinking. "So what? Bailey was my first..." Cody catches himself and stops.

Zack looks at his brother. "First what?"

Cody looks away. "Nevermind..."

Zack just stares at his brother. He whispers. "Oh my God...I was right..."

Cody just closes his eyes. Could his day get any worse?

_Meanwhile, in One of a Kind_

Bailey is finishing up some organizing the sales counter. In less than an hour, she would be done with her shift, and she had an overwhelming urge to be with Cody right now. Not long after Cody had left, she could feel her guilt growing inside of her. She knew she could trust Cody. Why had she acted the way she had? Why was she so hesitant to let him explain what happened? The more she thought about it, she realized it wasn't because she didn't trust Cody. She did. She trusted him with her life. Bailey thought she had figured out what the problem was – she was scared. She was scared that someone was going to take Cody away from her. And she knew that was silly too. After all, wasn't it Cody who had devised a six month plan just to win her affections? And wasn't it Cody who told her that she had nothing to worry about after the home economics fiasco? But still, she loved him so much that the thought of losing him was too painful to even think about.

Bailey was snapped out of her thoughts by hearing the bell ringing when the door to the store opened. She looked up and saw the last person she wanted to see. Her...

Plastering the best smile she could, Bailey welcomed the customer. "Can I help you?"

Rebecca walked over to the counter. "You're Bailey, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am...and you are Rebecca..."

"That's me...Look, I want to apologize for this afternoon. I had no idea what I did would cause a problem. Cody had no idea that I was going to do..."

Bailey nods. "I know. He told me what happened, and I believe him..."

"That takes a lot of trust on your part..."

"Well, I do trust him...When you love someone, you trust them..."

Rebecca pauses. "Look, I came to apologize if what I did caused problems for you and Cody...But, I'm not sorry I did it..."

Bailey can do nothing but stare at the girl in front of her.

"I won't lie to you. I felt something when I kissed him. Something I would love to find out what it was. So, I'm putting you on notice. I plan on trying to win him for myself. I could have done this behind your back, but I believe in a fair fight..."

Bailey is almost speechless. "Let me get this straight. You don't feel bad about kissing my boyfriend. And beyond that, you are openly declaring war on my relationship with him..."

"Look, like I said, I want everything to be out in the open..."

Bailey feels her anger rising. "Well, I can guarantee this is one fight you aren't going to win!"

Rebecca smirks. "I don't see why not. I mean, you're afraid to compete Saturday to keep your crown. If you aren't willing to fight for that, how much of a fight are you going to put up to keep Cody?"

Bailey is clutching her fists so tight, her knuckles are turning white. "You know what, I'll show you just what kind of a fighter I am...I'm going to keep my Cody and my crown...I'm in, sister!"

Rebecca rolls her eyes. "We shall see...But don't blame me when I have your crown and your guy" With that, Rebecca strolls out of One of a Kind and down the deck. From behind her, she hears a voice.

"Did you goad her into the pageant?"

Rebecca nods.

"Excellent. Part one is complete..."

Rebecca turns. "Are you sure we are doing the right thing here?"

Josh smirks. "Of course we are...Don't tell me you are chickening out on me..."

"I just think there is a better way to accomplish my goal..."

"Too late now..." Josh holds up an electronic device. "I have us discussing our plan on here. You'll do what I say or you will never compete in another pageant ever again and then you can say goodbye to vet school..."

_To be Continued..._


	9. A Confession and a Departure

_Chapter 9_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Cody is just sitting there thinking of what to say as his brother just keeps staring at him. Cody remembered telling Bailey that he wouldn't tell anyone, but that he wouldn't deny it either if someone found out. But, he wasn't about to confirm it for his brother. Unfortunately for him though, Zack wasn't about to give up.

Zack begin to chuckle. "Its true...I was right all along..."

Cody turns back to his laptop. "I don't know what you are talking about, Zack..."

Zack smiles. He had an ace in the hole. "If its not true, why are there birth control pills in your bathroom..."

Cody immediately turns back around to look at his brother. "What were you doing going through the drawers in there?"

"I didn't...When I went in there to wash my hands last week, I saw them sitting out by the sink..."

Cody sighs and hangs his head. "Have you been waiting for your opportunity to spring this on me?"

Zack smiles. "I wanted to make sure I was right first...And now, I know I am..."

Cody knows now he can't bluff his way out of this. "Fine. You were right...Happy now?"

"Dude...why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because I promised Bailey that I wouldn't say a word. We decided it wasn't anyone else's business..."

"But, I'm your brother..."

"So? You've never shared with me before when..." Cody pauses.

Zack stares at his brother. "What?"

This time, Cody begins to chuckle. "Of course you haven't...You've never had anything like this to tell me..."

Zack blanches. "I...ummm...just kept them to myself..."

Cody smiles. "Its okay, Zack...there is no reason to feel ashamed about the fact that you are still a..." Before Cody can finish, Zack jumps out of his chair and clamps his hand over Cody's mouth.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!"

"Zack, look at it as a good thing..."

"It may be, but I have a reputation as a ladies man to maintain..."

"Dude, you've had the girlfriend for over six months now...I think its safe to say your reputation as a womanizer is shot..."

"Hey, its not..." Zack pauses. "Wait a minute, quit trying to change the subject! You and Bailey...consummated your relationship!"

Cody pauses. "Yes, we did...We made love..."

"Dude...tell me everything!"

"No."

"Awww...come on!"

"Zack, you're my brother and I love you, but what happened between me and Bailey stays between the two of us..."

"You won't tell me anything?"

"All I was say is that it was the most amazing night of my life..."

Zack shakes his head. "That's all you are going to say?"

Cody sighs. "I'm glad we waited as long as we did...And I can't imagine doing that with someone I wasn't in love with..."

Zack pauses. "That special, huh?"

"And then some..."

Zack is about to say something and then pauses. "How did you know you were ready?"

Cody pauses. "I just did. After everything that we dealt with in Tokyo, with Moose and with Barbara and Agnes, we came out of that stronger than before. Our bond was sealed..." Cody smiles at his brother. "You'll know when you are ready too...and when you are, make sure you are both ready..."

Zack looks up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

Cody smirks. "Oh please, its obvious to everyone that you are crazy about her...I remember the look on your face when you first saw her again in Kettlecorn. It was the same look that was plastered on you face the last two weeks in Boston..."

Zack sighs. "Do you think we can keep this conversation...all of it...between us?"

Cody nods. "I think its best we do. Bailey and I don't want everyone to know what goes on behind closed doors. So, I ask you, don't tell anyone you know...even Cassie."

Zack pauses. "Alright, but I don't think anyone would be all that surprised. Bro, its obvious that you two are ga ga for each other. To be honest, I'm pretty sure she's going to be my sister in law some day. So, I won't say a thing...I promise...I'm really happy for you both"

Just then Bailey comes rushing into the room.

"Cody, we need to talk!..." She notices Cody isn't alone. "Zack?"

Zack laughs. "Just on my way out..." He turns to Cody. "Thanks, Bro..."

Cody smiles at his brother. "And a thanks to you too..." With that, Zack heads out of the cabin and closes the door behind him.

Bailey turns to Cody. "Did I just miss something?"

Cody smiles. "Just a little brotherly bonding...I do need to tell you something though..."

"What?"

"Zack knows..."

Bailey looks at Cody in confusion. "He knows?..." She pauses. "Oh...HE KNOWS..."

Cody nods. "You remember last week when he helped me fix the wheel on your desk chair?"

Bailey nods. "Uh huh..."

"Well, he got some grease on his hand and went into the bathroom to wash it off. I just found out that he saw your birth control pills when he did..."

Bailey sinks on to the bed. "Ohh...I knew I should have hidden those..."

Cody sits down next to her and wraps his arm around her waist. "Its okay, he promised he wouldn't say anything to anyone...even Cassie."

Bailey sighs. "What else did he say?"

"He really wasn't that surprised. He said it was obvious we were 'ga ga' over each other and that he was happy for us."

"Really? He didn't ask for details?"

Cody laughs. "Well, he wanted to know everything, but all I would tell him was that it was the most amazing night of my life..."

Bailey smiles. "That it was...What else did he say?"

Cody smiles. "The rest I can't say...brother to brother confidentiality..."

Bailey gives her best puppy dog look. "Not even to me?"

Cody laughs. "No, not even to you. Would you want me to tell him something you told me in confidence?"

Bailey pauses and sighs. "No, I wouldn't...I can't help it though, my curiosity is peaked..."

Cody grins. "You know what they said about curiosity and the cat..."

Bailey sighs. "I wish your friend Rebecca was a cat and got a bad case of the curiosities..."

"Huh?"

Bailey grimaced. "She stopped by the store a little while ago for a 'chat'..."

"Uh oh, that doesn't sound good..."

"Oh, it was worse than that. She basically told me that she had set her sights on you and was going to take you away from me..."

Cody's eyes were wide open. "What?"

Bailey sighs. "That's what she said...She basically said that the kiss from earlier rocked her world"

Cody looks up surprised. "Really?"

Bailey looks at him incredulously. "Cody!"

"Sorry...Bails, I felt absolutely nothing. If she felt something, that's all her..."

Bailey sighs. "I know...It just this whole thing seems so...so..."

"Weird?"

"Well, that's not the word I was searching for..."

"I just mean, why would she tell you what her plans were? One, she has to know your guard is going to be up. Two, she has to know you would tell me..."

"So, what do we do?"

Cody sighs. "Well, I would go set her straight, but I can't. As a judge, I'm not allowed to speak with any contestant before the pageant..."

Bailey pauses. "Yeah...About that..."

"What?"

"I...umm...I just signed up for the pageant..."

Cody looks surprised. "You what?"

"Cody, she challenged me...I couldn't back down!"

Cody pauses. "Alright, well, I need to go find Mr. Moseby and withdraw as a judge then..."

"You can't do that!"

"Bails, if you are in the pageant, you know I can't be unbiased..."

Bailey pauses. "Believe me, I know that. Part of me wanted you to stay as a judge for that very reason. But, I would never ask you to do something that would go against what you believe in..."

"I don't understand...Besides, there is no way Moseby will let me stay a judge..."

"I've already talked to him. I convinced him that it wouldn't be a problem. Cody, I know this may sound strange, but I want you to be the fair and honest person I know you are. I don't want any preferential treatment because we love each other..."

"But Bailey..."

"Cody, I needed you to support me on this...Can you do that?"

Cody looks into Bailey's eyes. "You always have my support...110%..."

Bailey smiles. "Good...That's why I'm moving out until after the pageant."

Cody can only look at Bailey in shock.

_To be Continued..._


	10. Butting Heads

_Chapter 10_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Zack sat in his room, going over the conversation he had just had with his brother. He meant what he said. He was truly happy for his brother and Bailey. Its just that he had always assumed he would be the first one to tell Cody about consummating a relationship. But, did that really matter? Zack paused. He didn't think he did. He knew Cody and Bailey had been going out for well over a year and a half, and he had seen with his own eyes the two of them fall in love. It was only natural that they would be first. Zack may have been a ladies man, but even he had his limits. There were some lines even he wouldn't cross until he was ready. Though, was he on the road to that place? Cody was right...he was crazy about Cassie. But he remembered what Cassie had said about taking things slow, and he remember what Cody had said about making sure the time was right and both were ready. Zack sighed. Why did everything have to be so confusing and complicated? Zack would have continued to think about it, but there was a knock at his door. He walked over to open it and found Cassie, who immediately stormed in to the room.

"Cassie?"

"What's going on with Cody and Bailey?"

Zack looked at his girlfriend in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Have you talked to Cody recently?"

"Yeah...I was just over in his room a little while ago..."

"So, did he say why Bailey was going to be crashing with Addison and me for a few days?"

Zack blinked. "Huh?"

Cassie sighed. "I just ran into Bailey about thirty minutes ago. She asked if it would be okay if she could stay with Addison and me. She didn't give a reason why though..."

Zack paused to think. "Cody didn't say anything...But, Bailey did come into the room saying they needed to talk..."

"What could be going on?"

Zack paused again and spoke mainly to himself. "But Cody said Bailey believed him when he told her what happened with Rebecca..."

Now, Cassie is confused. "Who is Rebecca and what happened with her?"

"Rebecca is the girl who though I was Cody earlier today..."

"Yeah, but who is she?"

"You remember that beauty pageant at the Tipton Hotel that I told you about?"

"Yeah..."

"Rebecca was another contestant in the pageant. Cody had a thing for her and that's what lead to us both being in it..."

"But wasn't that like five years ago?"

"Yeah, but before she left the hotel, she gave Cody his first kiss..."

Cassie is confused. "Okay...But why would Bailey care about something that happened several years before she even met Cody?"

"Well, seems after Rebecca saw us today, she went off looking for Cody. Seems she found him on the skydeck and essentially ambushed him..."

Cassie's eyebrows raise. "Ambushed?"

"Yeah, she ran up to him, hugged him and laid one on him before he knew what was happening...And Bailey happened to see the whole thing."

"From the sounds of it, Cody didn't do anything wrong..."

"I agree..."

"Then, what is Bailey thinking?"

Zack shrugs. "I don't know...I guess there is only one way to find out..."

Cassie nods. "You're right...Let's go find out."

_Meanwhile, across the hall_

Cody is shocked. "You're what?"

Bailey pauses. "I'm going to move out until after the pageant is over..."

"Why?"

"Its like you said, to take away the appearance of any impropriety."

"Bailey, this is crazy..."

Bailey takes Cody's hand. "Cody, I have to do this..."

"But why? I say we both forget all about this pageant and do something else Saturday night..."

Bailey tries to reason with Cody. "Its like when you found out the Moose had been badmouthing us in Kettlecorn. Rebecca has thrown down the gauntlet, I can't back down..."

"But that was different...Moose was spreading lies about us, we wanted to make sure the people you grew up with knew the truth. Here, who cares what Rebecca says? I certainly don't..."

Bailey sighs. "Cody, I have to do this. You've always stood up for me...In Tokyo and twice with Moose...This is my chance to do the same for you..."

"But, Bails...You've already stood up for me...first with my mother and then you were going to make Barbara tell you where your Dad and I were..."

"Cody, I just don't want anyone to think I'm not willing to fight for you..."

Cody sighs. "Okay. Lets say you do compete in the pageant and you win again. What then?"

"Then I will have proven that she can't beat me..."

"Bails, what would that prove though? Think about it, if I had gotten in a physical altercation with Moose, would whether I won or lost affect the way you felt about me?"

Bailey stares at Cody. "Of course not!"

Cody begins to get a little heated. "Then you can see why this pageant means nothing to me! Win, lose or draw, I'm still going to love you! There is nothing that Rebecca or anyone else can do to change that!"

"But if you felt you had to take Moose on, I would have fully supported your decision!"

"Oh, come on...We both know you would have tried to talk me out of it!"

Bailey pauses. "You're right...I would have. But if I failed to do that, I would have been in your corner..."

"Bails, I will always be in your corner..." Cody sighs. "I just don't see what going through with this is going to accomplish...Let's assume you do win, do you really think she's going to go 'Oh well, I lost...time to give up'?"

Bailey sighs. "No, probably not, but I want her to know that I willing to go head to head with her and not back down to her..."

"There is nothing to back down to! Look at it this way. She's like a hamster in one of those running wheels. She can run or work as hard as she wants, but in the end, she's not going to get anywhere!"

"Cody, I understand what you are saying, and I appreciate it...But, this is something I have to do. I don't know why, but something inside of me tells me I have to...All I'm asking for is your support with this..."

Cody sighs. "Looks like I don't have much of a choice..."

Bailey smiles at him. "Sweetie, this will all be over soon...I promise." Bailey proceeds to go grab a bag and pack some of her things.

Cody mumbles under his breath. "That's what I'm afraid of, Bails...that's what I'm afraid of..."

_To be Continued..._


	11. The Curveball

_Chapter 11_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Cody is just sitting on his bed, staring at nothing in particular. What had just happened? Why did Bailey feel she had to do this? Didn't she understand that he would love her no matter what. And then there was Rebecca. What was her problem? Cody thought he had been perfectly clear to her earlier about where he stood. He had thought she was a good person. Why was she trying to destroy his life now? And the worst part about it was there was nothing Cody could do about it. Bailey wouldn't listen to him and he couldn't go set Rebecca straight. He sighed and fell back on the bed. The bed he would have to sleep in alone now. Why wouldn't it just swallow him whole now? He knew he had to do something, but what? Something inside of him was telling him that there was more going on than he knew. As he continued to ponder that, his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door. Could it be Bailey coming back? He leaped off his bed and darted to the door. However, upon opening it, he found Zack and Cassie instead of Bailey.

"Ohhh...Its you guys..."

Zack smirked. "Good to see you again too, bro..."

Cody sighed. "No offense, I was just hoping it was Bailey coming back..."

Cassie stared at Cody. "Why is she crashing in my room?"

"Its a long story..."

Cassie smirked. "We have time..."

Cody sighed and proceeded to tell Zack and Cassie everything that had happened that day and finished with his last conversation with Bailey.

"So, let me get this straight...this Rebecca girl states her intentions on you, so Bailey decided to move out?"

Cody nods. "Pretty much..."

Zack shrugs. "But why?"

"She says it her way of standing up and fighting for me..."

Cassie has been thinking. "None of this makes any sense...Wouldn't it be smarter for Rebecca to go after you behind your backs?"

"You would think it would..."

Cassie shakes her head. "She had to know Bailey would tell you...Unless..."

Zack looks to Cassie. "Unless what?"

Cassie pauses. "Unless that was somehow part of her plan?"

Cody rubs his eyes. "But that makes absolutely no sense...And its not like I was ambiguous when I told Rebecca how I felt about Bailey. Why would you want someone that you know for sure that their heart belongs to another?"

Cassie sighs. "That's just it, Cody...The heart wants what it wants..."

Cody gets frustrated. "I just wish I could go set her straight!"

Zack turns to his brother. "Then why don't you?"

"Because I can't...I'm a judge remember...no fraternizing with contestants..."

Zack grins. "Who say you will be? Maybe it was 'me' who went to talk to her?"

Cody looks to his brother. "Huh?"

Zack laughs. "Dude, we used to pretend to be the other all the time...'Zack' will go talk to Rebecca while 'Cody' is here with Cassie as an alibi..."

Cassie turns to her boyfriend. "Zack...that's genious!"

Cody pauses to think. "I guess it could work..."

Zack grins. "Of course it will...You go do that, and we'll be right here. Once you get back, we'll know better where to go from there..."

Cody stands up and is about to head out to find Rebecca. He is about to leave the cabin, when he turns back. "Thanks...I really appreciate your help..."

Zack smiles. "Any time, bro..."

With that, Cody is off.

_Outside Rebecca's Cabin_

Rebecca has just returned to her room. She pauses and reflects about everything that has happened that day. Why had she let herself get talked into that creep's plan? She now regretted it, but she was at a point of no return. If she didn't follow through with it, Josh had guaranteed that all the plans she had made for the future would go up in smoke. And if she did, she would be trying to ruin someone's life who had done nothing to her. It was no wonder that Bailey had threatened to make Josh's life miserable. He deserved it! And as far as Rebecca could surmise, all Bailey had done was love and be loved by Cody. Rebecca sighed when she thought of him. He had done nothing wrong either, but here she was trying to mess with his life as well. Cody had made it clear to her how he felt about Bailey. She had let the fantasy of what life would be like with someone who was so sweet and thoughtful mess with her mind. Upon reflection, Rebecca could really see that her ex had done a real number on her. She could only shake her head when she felt that she wasn't alone. She turned to her side and there he was.

"Cody, what are you doing here?"

Cody smirked. "You seriously have to ask that question?"

Rebecca sighed. "I know you must be upset...Why don't we talk inside my cabin?"

"No thanks...What I have to say won't last long and I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea..."

"Cody, I'm sorry..."

Cody is angry now. "Who do you think you are?"

Rebecca is taken aback. "What?"

Cody presses on. "What right do you have to try to interfere with my life and Bailey's life?"

"Cody..."

"I will tell you this right now, so listen closely...I will never ever be with someone like you! You know how I feel about Bailey! I told you so! But that didn't stop you did it..."

"Cody..."

"What? You have a reason why you are doing this? I would love to hear it!"

Rebecca sighs. "I know you're angry...And if I was in your position, I know I would be too. But I have my reasons for doing what I'm doing..."

Cody smirks. "And I bet they're good ones too..."

"You don't understand. My last boyfriend was a complete jerk..."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"I'm getting there...I finally broke up with him, but he still wouldn't leave me alone. Finally, I was forced to get a restraining order against him. But, the memories kept flooding my dreams. I would wake up in a cold sweat almost every night. I thought I was going to go crazy until about a month ago..."

Cody sighed. "What happened then?"

"I was in another beauty pageant and one of the other contestant's name was Tyreesha. I know, its not a very common name, and I hadn't heard the name since I had met you in Boston...But immediately upon hearing it, I thought of you. I hadn't thought about you in years, but then there you were popping back into my head. And I remembered the sweet guy who was willing to throw the pageant to help me. I remembered the kind person who was always so nice to me. The thought of you gave me hope again...

"Well, I can understand that I guess, but did you ever give any thought to the life I've lead since I last saw you?"

Rebecca is pleading. "Cody, you have to understand, even thought I thought of you, I knew the odds of me seeing you ever again were slim to none. As far as I knew, you were still in Boston, and I had no plans to ever go back..."

Cody pauses. "I think I get it...The idea of me was more of a stand in to let you focus on instead of constantly thinking about your ex..."

Rebecca smiles. "Exactly...It gave me a reason to remember that not all guys were bad and that there were some good ones out there..."

Cody sighs. "While I appreciate the compliment, that still doesn't excuse what you said to Bailey..."

Rebecca sighs too. "I know. Its just when I saw your brother in the lobby, the fantasy turned into a reality. When I heard that you were here, I guess I lost my head for a little while..."

Cody sighs and rubs his neck. "But you have to know that there is no reality between us. My heart belongs to and will always belong to Bailey..."

Rebecca nods. "I can see that...But the thought of you with her threatened to destroy my fantasy..."

"Rebecca, I hate to say it, but that's not my problem..."

"I know...but if you knew what had happened, you would understand..."

Cody shakes his head. "I get it, he was a jerk who didn't know when to let go..."

Tears begin to form in Rebecca's eyes. "No, you don't...Cody, he used to hit me! I know I should have gotten away from him, but I thought he loved me...It wasn't until...It wasn't until..."

Cody is stunned. "Until what?"

"Until he tried to rape me then I knew I had to get away!"

_To be Continued..._


	12. Being Forced to See the Truth

_Chapter 12_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Cassie and Zack were still sitting in Cody's room. Both were getting a little worried that Cody hadn't returned yet as it shouldn't be taking him that long to tell Rebecca off. In frustration, Zack got up and started to pace the room. He realized he shouldn't have let his brother go off alone. He should have been right there with him to have his back. Zack had lost count of the number of times Cody had done the same for him. Finally, he couldn't take it longer.

"That's it, I'm going after him..."

Cassie looked up at him. "He's doing what he needs to do..."

"But I should have gone with him!"

"But then your plan of him having an alibi wouldn't have worked..."

Zack sighed. "You're right...Still, I shouldn't have let him go alone. I should have gotten Woody to go with him then..."

Cassie stared at her boyfriend. It warmed her heart to see Zack so concerned about Cody. "Zack, I'm sure he's fine..."

"I just wish there is something we could do..."

Cassie paused. "Maybe there is..."

Zack turned to look at Cassie. "What?"

"Well, we have to let Cody do what he is going to do...But it doesn't mean we can't let Bailey know she's acting like an idiot..."

"What do you have in mind?"

Cassie smiled. "Simple...We get her down here and we talk to her..."

"According to Cody, she was pretty adament about this whole thing. How are you going to get her down here?"

Cassie grins. "That's the easy part..." Cassie pulls out her cell phone and dials Bailey's number. All Zack can hear is Cassie's half of the conversation.

"Bailey, its me Cassie..." "No, I'm in your cabin right now..." "Because Cody fell and hit his head..." "Calm down, I think he's going to be okay, but I just wanted to let you know..." "Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes..."

And with that, Cassie turns back to Zack and smiles. Zack can only shake his head and laugh. Cody was definitely right...he was crazy about that girl...

_Meanwhile, Rebecca's Cabin_

Cody could only stare at Rebecca. Did she really say that her boyfriend had hit her? And had she just said that he had tried to rape her? With a thousand thoughts swirling through his mind, Cody didn't know what to say. While he knew things like that happened, he had never actually known someone that it had happened to.

Rebecca looked up at him, and Cody knew he had to say something. "Rebecca...I don't know what to say..."

Rebecca was wiping away her tears. And that's when Cody noticed it. She actually had a smile on her face. "You know...that was the first time I've ever actually admitted that to someone..."

Cody paused. Why was she telling him? And while Cody was glad she was finally telling someone, he couldn't help but to still be a little skeptical. "How long ago did this happen?"

Rebecca pauses. "About six months ago..."

Cody thought. Six months ago. About the same time Agnes and Barbara had decided to play their little games. Was April the official 'Your Ex Goes Crazy Month'? Cody turned back to Rebecca. "How come you never told anyone else in all this time?"

Rebecca pauses. "Because I was scared. Somehow, I thought it was my fault..."

Cody shook his head. "Don't think that. There is no excuse for anyone doing anything like that!"

Rebecca nods. "I should have known that, but I really thought he loved me..."

Cody shakes his head. "No...I love Bailey, and I would never do anything like that..."

Rebecca sighs. "I know...That's why the fantasy of you kept me going. I knew you would never do that..."

"So, how do you feel now?"

"Relieved...Like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders...For so long, I was keeping that in and dealing with it all by myself..."

"And still, you never told anyone?"

Rebecca shakes her head. "No...Not even my mom..."

"Rebecca...While I'm glad you told me, you should be telling this to someone else...like a counselor...or the police."

Rebecca sighs. "The police won't believe me. I didn't say anything at the time and now it would be a he said/she said..."

Cody shakes his head. "Still, you can't let him get away with this..."

"What can I do now?"

Cody paused. "I think we should get you inside...You don't want just anybody to hear about this."

Rebecca nods and opens her door. She sits down on her bed while Cody pulls a chair so he can face her. Finally she looks up to him.

"Cody, I am so sorry about everything. I had no right to try mess with your relationship..."

"Don't worry about that right now. What you need is to talk to a professional, someone who can help you deal with this..."

She sighs. "I know. You're right...I guess I was just scared to do that...Like if I told someone, I would have to admit to myself that it had really happened..."

"Whatever you do, don't let them talk you into seeing the ship's counselor, Mr. Blanket...You need a real professionial..."

Rebecca looks at Cody confused. "Okay..."

"Also, I think you should drop out of the pageant and find someont to talk to ASAP...There will be other pageants, but you need help right now..."

Rebecca sighs. "I can't..."

"Why not?"

"It's not that simple...If I don't compete, my life will be over..."

Cody is confused. "What does that mean?"

Rebecca pauses. "Cody, I need to tell you something...I only hope that you don't hate me afterwards..."

_Back in Cody and Bailey's cabin_

Zack and Cassie are sitting on the bed waiting. If everything goes according to plan, Bailey should be there any minute now. And just as they have predicted, Bailey comes rushing into the cabin.

Bailey looks distressed. "Where's Cody? Is he okay?"

Cassie grins. "He's fine...Actually, he's giving Rebecca a piece of his mind right now...much like what I'm about to do to you, dear cousin..." Cassie turns to Zack. "Would you mind stepping outside and letting me talk to Bailey woman to woman?"

Zack grins. "Sure thing, babe..." With that, Zack steps outside. However, he isn't going to just stand there. "Sorry Cassie, I have to go find my brother..."

Back inside, Cassie just stares at her cousin. "What do you think you are doing? What possible reason could you have that you think moving out is the answer?"

Bailey just blinks looking at Cassie. "I was just..."

"I know what you think you are doing...and you're making a huge mistake!"

Bailey is confused. "Huh?"

Cassie sighs. "Another girl...a gorgeous one at that...states her intentions to you that she is going to take the man you love away from you...and your first thought is to move out of the cabin you share with him and leave him all alone, confused and vulnerable..."

"But..."

"But nothing...You say you want to stand up for your man. How are you going to do that when you walk away from him?"

Bailey pauses. "I was just doing what I thought I had to do..."

"And why did you think that? Don't you trust Cody?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then why not trust him when he says that there is nothing this Rebecca can do to affect how he feels about you?"

"You don't understand!"

Cassie smirks. "Then enlighten me then..."

"I do trust Cody...I trust him with my heart and my life. Its just..." Bailey pauses to collect herself. "Its just the thought of losing him that scares me to death..."

Cassie pauses. "Why would you think you are going to lose him? Bailey, that boy loves you...he worships the ground you walk on...Since I've known him, I have never seen him look at another girl even when you weren't around..."

Bailey just sits there taking in everything Cassie is saying. But Cassie continues. "When you two were taking on Moose both times, you did it as a team...When you two dealt with Barbara and Agnes, you did it as a team...Why wouldn't you want to take on this Rebecca together as a team?"

Bailey just looks at her cousin. She was right. Bailey had tried to take on Rebecca by herself. Hadn't she learned by now that things always worked out when she and Cody worked as a team? Beyond what Cassie said, there was also them working as a team to get their parents to accept them living together. And Cody had been right...as individuals, they were two halves of a whole, but together, they were indestructible. Why had she thought it would be better to go this alone? She could only shake her head...What had she been thinking?

"You're right..."

Cassie exhales. "Hallelujah...You've finally seen the light!"

Bailey nods. "I should have been working with Cody this whole time, not trying to take on everything by myself..."

"Exactly..."

Bailey begins to pace. "Its time to make Rebecca wish she had never met Bailey Pickett!"

"Now you're talking..."

Bailey turns back to face Cassie. "But first, I need find my feller and let him know I'm back to stay!"

_To be Continued..._


	13. The Beginnings of a Plan

_Chapter 13_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Bailey and Cassie open the door to the cabin and find that Zack was nowhere in sight. Cassie sighed as she realized that Zack had gone off looking for his brother. She turned to Bailey and said it looked like they were on their own. They quickly headed out and immediately went to Rebecca's cabin figuring that was the last place they knew Cody was going. As they walked outside her cabin, they noticed that her porthole was open. They couldn't hear what was going on, but new they definitely heard noises coming from the room.

Bailey turned to her cousin. "Give me a boost so I can look through the porthole…"

Cassie sighed and dropped to her knee and made a step by interlocking her fingers. Bailey stepped onto her hands and lifted up enough to see what was going on inside the room. A few seconds later, Bailey stepped back down with a confused look on her face.

_Meanwhile_

Zack was searching the entire ship for his brother too. He had checked near Rebecca's cabin, but there was no sign of him. Zack tried to think of anywhere else his brother could be. He checked his watch. 9:45. Zack knew he had to hurry as curfew was in 15 minutes. He quickly checked anywhere Cody was likely to frequent and as a last minute gamble, he checked the skydeck. And there he was. Cody was sitting on the towel counter just staring off into space. Zack walked up next to him and hopped up next to him.

"How did it go?"

Cody turned to his brother. "I'm still trying to figure that out..."

"What happened?"

Cody paused. He knew what happened to Rebecca was not his story to tell. But, Cody knew he had to tell someone or he might go crazy thinking about it. And since Bailey had made it clear they couldn't associate with each other until after the pageant, he turned to Zack. "What I am about to tell you, you cannot tell a living soul..."

Zack was taken aback but nodded. Cody proceeded to tell Zack everything that Rebecca had told him. By the time that Cody finished with the story, Zack was sitting there with his eyes open wide and his mouth hanging open.

"Wow..."

Cody sighed. "Tell me about it..."

"What are you going to do?"

Cody shakes his head. "I have absolutely no idea..."

Zack rubs the back of his head. "I knew that Josh guy was a jerk...but that sounds like pure evil..."

Cody sighs. "I know...But what can I do about it? If I try to bust him, he turns around and ruins Rebecca's life already more than it is..."

Zack nods. "And if you don't..."

"I know..."

Zack pauses. I take it the after hearing all of that that you no longer hate Rebecca?"

Cody shakes his head. "No...I feel sorry for her..." Cody turns to his brother. "I mean...What kind of guy would do to her what her ex tried?"

"I don't know, Cody...There are just some horrible people in this world..."

"I suppose so...I guess I've always tried to avoid thinking of things like that. I mean, we grew up in a posh hotel. Those things just weren't part of what we had to deal with..." Cody shakes his head again. "That sounds so Pollyanna of me..."

"Dude, we were lucky...Its like you said, we were never around people that it had happened too..."

Cody sighs. "I know, but now that I have...Its made me think about it."

"What do you mean?"

Cody can feel his anger rising. "This jerk claimed he loved her. How can anyone claim they love someone and then hit them or try to...try to rape them?"

Zack tries to calm his brother. "That's just it. If he did love her, then he wouldn't have..."

"But she didn't deserve that!"

"Cody, no one does..."

Cody sighs. "I know...It just made me think of Bailey. I love her with all of my heart. I could never imagine raising my hand to her for any reason...Let alone...forcing her to...And Zack, if anyone else tried to do that to her..." Cody pauses. "I think I would kill them..."

Zack rubs his brothers shoulder. "I know you wouldn't...And if someone was stupid enough to try, then I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be hard for you to form a posse to administer some justice..."

Cody turns to his brother. "Thanks, Zack..."

Zack smiles. "No problem...Its pretty obvious to everyone how much you love her...And like I said, she's kind of like a sister to me now..."

Cody finally cracks a smile. "I feel the same way about Cassie..."

Zack laughs. "Easy there, Codester...We are still over a year behind you and Bailey..."

Cody sighs. "Bailey...How do I tell her everything I just found out? It would destroy her..."

_Meanwhile, back outside Rebecca's cabin_

Cassie just looks at her cousin. "Well?"

Bailey pauses. "She was lying in her bed in the fetal position crying her eyes out…"

Cassie's eyes open wide. "I guess Cody really laid into her then…"

Bailey nods. "I guess so…" She pauses. "Is it wrong that I wish I could have been there to see it?"

Cassie shakes her head. "Everything considered, no…" She checks her watch. "Its almost curfew, we should get back to your cabin before we get caught out. Hopefully, Zack has found him or Cody is already back at the cabin…"

Bailey nods. She and Cassie return back to her cabin, but are disappointed to find it empty. Bailey is starting to get worried. "Where could he be?"

Cassie shrugs. "I don't know…"

Bailey sighs. "I should have been here with him the whole time…"

Cassie rubs her shoulder. "The important thing is that you are back now…"

"I hope Cody feels the same way..."

Cassie smiles. "He will..."

"I need to talk to him...He was right, we should have both just skipped this pageant nonsense..."

"Don't be too hard on yourself...You were challenged and reacted in the heat of the moment..."

Bailey sighs. "I'm usually so good about not going off like that..."

"Bailey, nobody's perfect..."

"I know...I know I'm certainly not..."

Cassie laughs. "Well, except in Cody's eyes..."

Bailey smiles. "I like the way Cody sees me...It makes me feel so safe and secure...and loved..." Bailey appears to be wistfully lost in a memory. "I still remember that night in New Haven so vividly. When he looked at me..."

Cassie looks at her cousin. "What are you talking about?"

Bailey blinks back to reality. "Oh...ummm..." Bailey pauses. Zack already knows, so there is no point in keeping it from Cassie. Bailey knew she could trust her with her innermost secrets. "I was remembering the night that Cody and I first made love..."

Cassie just stares at her cousin. "You two...I mean...you...ummm..."

Bailey nods. "Yeah..."

Cassie is stunned. "Wow..."

Bailey giggles. "I think that word was used quite a bit that night..."

Cassie pauses. "So...What was it like?"

Bailey smiles. "Magical..."

"Its just...I know you've heard the stories from other girls about their first times..."

"I did...And it was nothing like those stories..."

"How was it then?"

Bailey smiles. "I've never felt so loved...desired...adored. I still get goosebumps thinking about it..."

Cassie smiles. "Good..." She pauses. "I'm really happy for you both...I know I'm looking at the real thing with you two..."

Bailey smiles. "Call me an optimist, but I think I can see the same thing with you and Zack..."

Cassie blushes. "I don't know about that..."

"Oh come on...I know you're crazy about him...I saw your face when you saw him again in Kettlecorn...and you two were inseparable in Boston..."

"Well..." Cassie pauses and smirks. "Wait a minute, I guess now we know what you and Cody were doing when you snuck off by yourselves..."

Bailey laughs. "You are so bad!"

Cassie laughs. "Yet, I didn't hear a denial..."

Bailey shakes her head. "Nope...No details about my love life..."

Cassie sighs. "Fine...Speaking of which, he still isn't back and neither is Zack…"

Bailey pauses. "What should we do?"

Cassie checks her watch. "Its past curfew now...I say we stay here and wait. They have to know its past curfew now too. There probably on their way here now…"

_Back to the skydeck_

Zack looks at his younger brother. "So, what are you going to do?"

Cody sighs. "Maybe its good Bailey did move out for a few days...It will give me time to think of something..."

Zack pauses. "Ummm...About that...She's back in your cabin right now..."

Cody turns to Zack. "Huh?"

"Cassie was going to try to talk some sense to her..."

Cody groans. "What do I do now?"

Zack shakes his head. "Its too bad that there isn't someone we can call for help...like Batman..."

Cody laughs. "That would be nice, but I think I'd rather have Bruce Wayne right now..."

Zack. "Yeah, too bad we don't know influential people...Well, other than Wilfred Tipton, but I'm not sure he even knows we exist..."

Cody turns to Zack and thinks. "Zack! You're a genius!"

"Huh?"

"Let me think...We're in the Mediterranean and its after 10 PM here...that would make it still early afternoon in Boston..."

Zack is confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Cody smiles. "I have a phone call to make!"

"You're going to call Wilfred Tipton?"

"Nope, but I do know of someone one who might be just as good..."

_To be Continued..._


	14. Calling it a Night

_Chapter 14_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Zack just stood by, and for the second time that night, listened to one side of a phone call. Cody is pacing as he talking.

"Uh huh..." "Right..." "Good..." "Okay, I'll look forward to your call tomorrow..." "Thank you again..."

Zack turns to his brother. "Okay, exactly who did you call again?"

Cody smiles. "George Daniels..."

Zack looks at his brother in confusion. "Your boss from this summer and Mr. Tipton's lawyer?"

Cody nods. "Yup..."

"How is he going to help?"

Cody grins. "Besides being a brilliant man, he is Mr. Tipton's right hand man. Besides, if you want to screw someone over, who better to help than a lawyer?"

Zack shrugs. "Fair enough...But what's your plan now?"

"I'll know tomorrow after he calls me back..."

"Dude, tomorrow is Friday. That's the day before the pageant. Cutting it a little close aren't you?"

Cody shrugs. "I don't have a choice..."

"You could always ask London to make a phone call to her father..."

"Trust me, that's plan B...But I'm afraid if we did that, there could be a backlash..."

"I still don't understand how calling a lawyer fixes everything..."

Cody smirks. "It doesn't...The other part of my idea requires you to be sneaky and manipulative..."

"Me? You know I'm not sneaky and manipulative anymore...Oh, who am I kidding? What do you need me to do?"

"Not just you. It might take two people and I think I know of the perfect accomplice for you..."

"Cassie?"

"No, I was thinking of someone with a little more...mass to them...I was thinking of Woodchuck..."

Zack stares at his brother. "What exactly do you need us to do?"

Cody grins. "First, we need to talk to Rebecca again tomorrow, but here's what I'm thinking..." And with that, Cody details for Zack what he has in mind.

"Dude...That's sneaky and manipulative and..." Zack gets a little choked up. "You really are my brother!"

Cody laughs. "I know...and it still scares me..."

"So, what do we do now?"

Cody pauses. "There is nothing else we can do tonight...Its already past curfew and we need to get back to our cabins before Kirby or Moseby finds us..."

Zack nods, and they both sneak off the skydeck.

_Meanwhile, back in Cody and Bailey's cabin_

Cassie sighs. "I told him not to go after Cody..."

"Why not?"

"The plan was for Cody to pretend to be Zack if he got caught out and Zack would be Cody here with me as an alibi..."

Bailey frowns. "How would that work? Sure they're twins, but they don't look all that much alike anymore..."

Cassie laughs. "Not to you and me and anyone else who really knows them, but to the average person they would. I mean, earlier today, Rebecca thought Zack was Cody..."

Bailey nods. "True...I just wish I knew where they were..."

"Where who was?"

Cassie and Bailey turn to see their boyfriends standing in the door.

Bailey exhales. "There you two are...What happened with Rebecca?"

Cody looks to Zack and then to Bailey and Cassie. "Let's just say we've been targeted by a conspiracy..."

Cassie looks at Cody confused. "A conspiracy...who else is involved?"

"Josh Masters..."

Bailey is taken aback. "Josh? Why is he involved in this?"

Zack finally speaks. "Revenge on you for humiliating him..."

Bailey can feel her anger rising. She had warned him, and now she wanted to make him pay. "That's it...maybe I went too easy on him the last time. Well, no more...I'm going to go teach him a lesson he will never forget!"

Cody moves and puts his hands on her shoulders. "No, you're not..."

Bailey looks at Cody in confusion. "Why not?"

"Because its not that simple...Josh must have been planning this for a while. He's added...for lack of a better term...contingency plans in case something happens..."

"What do you mean?"

"Lets just say we have to be careful what we do..."

Cassie interrupts them. "How did you find this out anyways?"

Cody turns. "From Rebecca...Let's just say she had an attack of conscience and confessed what was going on..."

Bailey jumps in. "Just like that?"

Cody pauses. "Look, there is more to it than that, but I can't tell you what it is..."

"Why not?" Bailey pauses. "Is it because you don't trust me anymore?"

Cody smiles. "Nothing like that. Its just what she told me is not for me to spread around...I'm going to need you to trust me on that."

Bailey looks into Cody's eyes. "Okay. I trust you. But what are we going to do now?"

"I think I have an idea, but I'll know more tomorrow how feasible it is..."

"What happens to tomorrow?"

"George Daniels is going to call me back...I asked him for his advice and help and he said he would get back to me tomorrow..."

Cassie jumps in. "So, what do we do until then?"

Cody shakes his head. "Nothing. We go on about our lives and pretend nothing is wrong..."

"And what if he can't help?"

Zack looks over at Zack. "Then, we go to Plan B..."

Cassie nods. "Alright, well, I should sneak back up to my cabin...Bailey, are you coming with me or staying here?"

Bailey smiles. "I'm staying here...This is where I belong..." She pauses. "If its okay with Cody..."

Cody smiles and turns to Cassie. "The lady is more than welcome to stay here tonight...and every other night..."

Zack grins and grabs Cassie's hand. "That's our cue to leave..." And with that, Zack and Cassie both leave.

Bailey turns around and looks at Cody. "Cody...I'm sorry..."

Before she could continue, Cody had silenced her with a kiss. When he finally pulled back, he had a smile on his face. "Do you have any idea how long I've waited to do that?"

Bailey couldn't help but smile, but she was determined to get her apology out. "I mean it, I'm sorry for...for everything today..."

"No need to be..."

"Yes, there is...For a while, I let my stubbornness take control of me. First, I wouldn't let you explain what happened. Then, I let Rebecca's challenge get the best of me. Finally, I was so sure of what I thought I had to do that I temporarily forgot then we work best as a team instead of on our own..."

Cody smiles. "Its okay, Bails...Besides, your stubbornness is one of the things I love about you..."

"It is?"

"Of course...I'm just as stubborn. And yes, it does cause us to butt heads every once in a while, but at the same time, I also know that you are always going to challenge me and not back down from what you think and believe. I love that you have a mind of your own and will fight for what you think is right..."

Bailey smiles and laughs. "Thank you...But if I ever get that bad again, smack me..."

Cody pauses and tenses up. "Bails, I couldn't do that...I would never hit you..."

Bailey pauses and looks at Cody. "I know you wouldn't..." She continues to stare trying to read his eyes. "Cody, is everything okay?"

Cody nods. "Yeah…I'm fine…"

Bailey pulls Cody into a hug. "Don't worry, everything will be okay..."

Cody sighs feeling himself relax in the comfort of Bailey's arms. "I hope so, Bails...I certainly hope so..."

_To be Continued..._


	15. Call Waiting

_Chapter 15_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Friday morning seemed to drag by. Everyone tried to go through their normal schedule, but it seemed like every five minutes someone asked Cody if he had gotten the call yet. All he could do was shake his head that he hadn't. Logic was telling him that due to the time difference, it would be mid afternoon at the earliest before he would get the call. But, Cody was as anxious as everyone else. The only thing that prevented him from checking his phone every thirty seconds was Miss Tutweiler catching him doing it and threatening to take it away from him.

After they were done for the day, Cody and Bailey just sat in their cabin trying to distract themselves with their AP English papers. But neither one really had their heads or hearts into them. Both knew that whatever they managed to get done that afternoon would likely have to be redone later. Eventually, they both stopped working and ended up just looking at each other without a word being spoken. But none had to be, both knew what the other was thinking.

Finally, at a little after 3:30 in the afternoon, the phone finally did ring. Cody slowly picked up the phone and answered it. Bailey was almost going crazy as now it was her turn to only hear one side of the phone call. After what seemed like hours to Bailey, Cody ended the call and placed the phone back on his desk. Bailey searched his face trying to get any idea of what George Daniels had said. The longer this went on, the more Bailey feared bad news. Cody finally exhaled and the biggest grin formed on his face. Bailey immediately got up and ran over to Cody.

"It was good news, wasn't it?"

Cody nodded. "Even better than I could have ever imagined..."

Bailey exhaled. "So, will you tell me everything now?"

Cody nodded and beckoned Bailey over to his lap for her to sit. And that is exactly what she did. Cody paused to collect his thoughts before he began.

"Okay, it seems that Josh's entire plan was to destroy your life..."

"By trying to get Rebecca to take you away from me..."

"Unfortunately not...That was only going to be the icing on the cake for him. He wanted to hit you harder than that..."

Bailey felt a shiver go down her spine. "What else does he have planned?"

"Does the name Kansas Bank & Trust sound familiar to you?"

Bailey thought. "Yeah, its the bank that my parents got their loan from to buy the Weevils farm after it went into foreclosure a about a month ago...They had been wanting to expand for years."

Cody nodded. "Well, the President of of Kansas Bank & Trust is Andrew Masters...Josh's grandfather. Seems his grandfather loved to spoil him rotten and Josh was fairly confident he could get his grandfather to push through a foreclosure on your parents' farm..."

Bailey felt herself beginning to cry as she thought of the implications. "Oh my gosh...NO!"

Cody reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "That's not going to happen. Your parents have never been late on a payment and are in good standing with the bank..."

"But Cody, he's the President of the Bank...He could do something!"

Cody smiles. "No, he can't...Turns out that Kansas Bank & Trust was bought by another larger bank several years ago. So, Grandpa Masters would have to clear everything with them..."

Bailey is confused. "But..."

"That other bank was Tipton Bank & Trust...a division of Tipton Industries..."

Bailey just stares at Cody. "Wait a minute..."

"If his grandfather even tries to access your parents account, the President of Tipton Bank & Trust said he would sic the Securities & Exchange Commission on him so fast, it'll make his head spin..."

"But why would he do that for my family?"

"I helped him with an issue this summer, and he said he owed me a favor. He was just returning it..."

Bailey paused. "But how did you know all of this?"

Cody smiled. "I didn't. I asked Mr. Daniels for assistance as to what your parents could do if the Masters tried to do that. I had no idea that the Tiptons owned the bank Mr. Masters worked for. That's why it was so much better than I could have imagined. Your parents won't have to worry about anything being done to them..."

Bailey just stares at Cody and smiles. "Thank you helping my family..."

"Well, I like to think of them as my family too..."

"Because of your Dad and Aunt Sarah..."

Cody shakes his head and smiles. "Nope...Not because of that..."

Bailey can't help my smile. "Good...Because you are family...You're my family..."

Cody smiles. "Sounds good to me..." Cody feels him self relax. "It feels so good to finally able to relax for a bit..."

"What's comes next?"

"Phase 2...And it can't begin until Zack and Woody get back from class..."

"And what is Phase 2 again?"

"We stop Josh from blackmailing Rebecca..."

Bailey pauses. "Cody, I still don't fully understand. After everything she has done, why are you going to help her?"

Cody begins to slowly rub Bailey's back. "I know it doesn't make any sense. But, I did find out last night why she did what she did. I won't excuse what she's done, but I think she has been a victim in this as much as we have..."

Bailey pauses. "And you won't tell me what it is you found out?"

"Bails, I wish I could. I really do. But its not my place to tell..."

Bailey sighs. "I understand. I still don't understand why Josh would have wanted Rebecca to tell me what she did…"

Cody pauses. "I'm not sure either. The best I could do would be to hazard a guess…"

"What do you think it was?"

"My best guess is that he figured that with your parents financial problems, you would be forced to leave the ship and go home and he thought the idea of you knowing Rebecca was around and after me when you couldn't be there would drive you crazy…"

"Well, he would have been half right…It would have driven me crazy…" Bailey smiles. "But mainly because I would go crazy not getting to be with you everyday…"

Cody smiles. "It would never have come to that. I would have established the Bailey Pickett Scholarship fund and found a way for you to stay here with me…Even if it meant me going back to being the towel boy again"

Bailey leans in and kisses Cody. "I appreciate that, but at the very worst, we would have been reunited over Christmas, spring break, next summer and eventually back in New Haven…"

Cody shakes his head. "Nope, not good enough for me…I've grown quite accustomed to having you around all the time. In fact, I would be willing to say I was addicted to you. Its like I've told you before, you're stuck with me…"

Bailey smiles. "You keep say that as if it's a bad thing…" Bailey pauses. "There is something I should tell you though…"

"Yeah?"

Bailey pauses again. "Cassie knows now too..."

Cody pauses. "How did she take it?"

"Basically, her reaction was pretty much the same as what you told me Zack's was."

Cody nods. "Good...Its good to know our friends and family support us so much..."

Bailey smiles. "I guess people weren't as surprised as we thought they would be..."

"Yeah, I'm kind of getting that impression..."

Bailey giggles. "She did say she knew what we were doing whenever we wanted to be alone..."

Cody turns to Bailey and looks a little embarrassed. "What did you tell her?"

"Nothing...I refused to go into any details. Those are still just between us. But she did have some general questions..."

Cody nods. "So did Zack..."

Bailey smiles. "You know, its obvious those two are crazy about each other..."

Cody smiles. "I know. I was telling Zack that very thing..."

Bailey shakes her head. "I never thought I see the day your brother would be a one woman man..."

Cody laughs. "You're surprised? If I wasn't seeing it with my own two eyes, I would never believe it..." Cody pauses. "Especially considering its not Maddie..."

Bailey rubs Cody's back. "Maybe that was the problem, Zack would never commit because he was always holding out hope for her?"

Cody nods. "Its possible and that would make a lot of sense...I do know that when this is all over, I owe him big time..."

"I know what you mean...Thank goodness Cassie was able to knock some sense into me last night..."

"Me too...We're really blessed to have such great friends..."

"I know..."

Cody smiles. "We'll have to find a way to show them how grateful we are..."

"Yeah, we should..."

"But first, I want to show you how grateful I am to have you back..."

Bailey smiles. "Yeah?"

"Uh huh..." With that, Cody leans down and kisses Bailey again. However, as it does happen, they were interrupted by Zack and Woody coming into the cabin.

Cody sighs. "Remind me to add a deadbolt to that door..."

Bailey remembers here spying on Rebecca and giggles. "Some curtains over the porthole might be nice too..."

Zack interrupts them and smirks. "So, are we going to do this, or should we give you two a few minutes?"

Cody turned to his brother. "Let's get this over with..."

_To be Continued..._


	16. Success and Failure

_Chapter 16_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Zack and Woody are on the skydeck throwing a football around. Cody has hidden himself so he can watch everything unfold in front of him. Cody has a transmitter and Zack and Woody both have earpieces in their ears. Until Josh arrives on deck, they can do nothing but wait. While they throw, Zack and Woody try to pretend everything is normal.

Cody whispers into his transmitter. "Check one. Zack if you can hear me, acknowledge me by reaching down to tie your shoe..."

Zack catches the football and pauses to tie his shoe.

"Check two, Woody, if you can hear me, grab a corn chip...no, forget that. Ummm...reach down and pull up your socks..."

Woody reaches down to tug up his socks and grabs a corn chip out of his hair anyways. Cody shakes his head and groans. "Okay, you both can hear me. There will be radio silence until I have visual on our target..."

Zack and Woody continue to toss the football to each other. Cody sits back and waits, and after a while, he begins to think that Josh isn't going to show up. Rebecca had promised she would have him up there. The longer he waited, the more he wondered if he had done the right thing in trusting her. After close to an hour, Cody was ready to give up when he noticed Josh and Rebecca walk onto the sky deck. It appeared that they were in a heated conversation.

"Okay guys, begin Operation Pushover..."

Woody and Zack nod.

"You know, Woodster, this is going to be the year for the Pats again. I can feel it. Welker is going to come back and be stronger that ever..."

"Whatever, Brady is washed up...Just like your Celtics. I'm surprised Garnett lasted all season without needing a walker..."

Zack scoffs. "This coming from a Cavs fan? Has it sunk in yet that you guys lost LeBron?"

"Dude, shut up! Or should I bring up how the Yankees swept your beloved Red Sox and kept them out of the playoffs..."

"At least they were competitive...Have your Indians done anything not in a movie? And don't get me started on the Browns...They just plain suck!"

Woody drops the football and stomps toward Zack. "What did you just say?"

Zack smirks. "Face it, Woodchuck...Cleveland sports are a joke!"

Woody glares. "I'll show you how we handle things in Cleveland!"

Zack mockingly shakes. "Oooooo...Like I'm going to fear a place that's called the 'Mistake by the Lake'..."

Woody loses it and shoves Zack. "You're going to pay for that, Bean Eater!"

Zack pushes Woody pack. "Oh yeah?"

Zack and Woody continue to push each other back and forth. Cody is keeping one eye on them and another on Josh and Rebecca. When Josh pulls out his electronic device. Cody whispers. "Now!"

With that, Zack pushes Woody directly into Josh, knocking them them both onto the deck. Woody is lying on top of Josh, and Josh's face is being forced into the deck. In the course of the collision, the electronic device is knocked out of Josh's hand. While he is unable to see, Zack slips over and switches the device with an identical one. He, slips Josh's into his pocket and proceeds to help pull Woody up. Josh rises up, sees the device and shoves it back into his pocket. He turns to Woody and glares.

"Watch what you are doing, you big lummox!"

Woody shrugs. "Sorry, dude..."

With that, Josh stops to glare at Rebecca. "I'll see you tomorrow!" And with that, Josh storms off of the deck.

Zack and Woody look at each other and begin laughing. Cody comes out of his hiding spot and joins them.

"Did you get it?"

Zack grins and pats his pocket. "Right here..."

Cody smiles. "Excellent...It worked!"

"It sure looks like it did...Now, will you hooligans care to explain what I just saw?"

Everyone turns to find Moseby glaring at them.

Woody and Zack look at each other. "Ummmm..."

Cody steps forward. "I can explain, Mr. Moseby..."

Moseby stares at all of them. "This better be good..."

"It will be. I will tell you everything, but I only ask that we go to your office so I can tell you everything in private...This is sensitive information that I don't think we want to risk being overheard"

Mosbey sighs. "Very well..."

Cody turns to Zack. "I'm going to to need to borrow the device."

Zack nods and hands it over to Cody. And with that, Cody follows Moseby back to his office. Once there, Cody starts at the beginning and tells Mr. Moseby the whole story and finishing with what he had just witnessed.

Mosby is just looking at Cody. "You're serious?"

Cody nods. "Even I couldn't make something like this up..."

Moseby sits back and thinks. "Your brother, maybe...but not you..."

"I was going to tell you, Mr. Moseby, but I wanted to have everything in place first..."

Moseby sighs. "What is it with this you twins and beauty pageants? Can't one go off without a hitch?"

"Sorry...But to be fair, neither Zack nor I were doing anything to disrupt this one..."

Moseby shakes his head. "Well, either way, this is now officially a mess. I don't think I have any choice but to cancel it..."

Cody sighs. "You're probably right...I just wish there was some way to keep people who did nothing wrong from being punished..."

"I know. But what else can I do?"

Cody pauses and smiles. "Well, why not let it go on?"

"And let Mr. Masters turn it into a spectacle?"

"Who says he will?"

Moseby just looks at Cody again. "After everything you just told me, how can he not?"

Cody smiles. "What if I said I had an idea?"

_Meanwhile, back in Cody and Bailey's cabin_

Bailey is sitting at her laptop, trying to redo the part of her English paper she had been working on earlier. However, she was having about as much luck as she had then. She couldn't help but think about Cody's phase two and was wondering if it was working. She sighed. She couldn't wait for this to be over and her life could go back to normal. Hearing a knock at her door, she got up to answer it thinking it may be Cassie. However, when she opened it, there stood Rebecca.

Rebecca paused. "Look, I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, but I wanted to talk to you..."

Bailey stopped to think. While she had nothing to say to Rebecca, she let her in.

Rebecca walked in and looked around. "So, this is where you are living with Cody. It looks...cozy..."

Bailey sighed. "I'm pretty sure you didn't come here to talk about my cabin..."

Rebecca turned to Bailey. "You're right. I actually came her to apologize to you. What I did was completely inappropriate and inexcusable, and I feel bad about it..."

Bailey just looked at Rebecca not trusting herself to say anything.

Rebecca continued. "You have every reason to be angry with me. I know Cody is yours, and I should have respected that. Its just..."

Bailey finally answers. "What?"

Rebecca pauses. "I assume Cody told you everything I told him..."

"He told me about you helping Josh, but he said there were other things that were not his place to talk about..."

Rebecca smiled. "Of course. I should have known Cody wouldn't go broadcasting that..."

Bailey rolled her eyes. "So, what does that have to do with me?"

"I'm going to tell you. I think we should both sit first though..."

Bailey sighs. "Fine..." She pulls out her desk chair as Rebecca takes a seat in Cody's.

Rebecca pauses before she begins. "Has Cody told you how he and I met?"

Bailey nods. "Yeah, the pageant at the Boston Tipton..."

Rebecca nods. "Good. From my memories, I remember Cody was a sweet and kind boy. Of course, I only knew him for a few days, but it really struck me how honorable he was. Of course, I was only going to be in Boston for a few days. So, while I enjoyed meeting him, I knew there could never be anything more to it..."

Bailey scoffs. "Sounds like you changed your mind..."

"I know it sounds that way, but let me finish...Well, a few months afterwards, I didn't really think much about it. I was on to more and more pageants and Cody was in Boston. I had completely forgot about it and him until about a month or so ago. There was another girl in a pageant who's name was Tyreesha..."

Bailey nodded. "The name Cody used during the pageant..."

Rebecca smiled. "Exactly. Well, hearing that name again caused me to remember Cody again. I remembered that sweet guy I had met about five years earlier. I never expected to see him ever again, but it was a good memory for me..."

Bailey is getting frustrated. What does that have to do with anything? "Okay..."

Rebecca nods. "I know, this doesn't sound like it makes any sense. But, about a year ago, I met a guy. His name was Teddy, and it was kind of a whirlwind romance. I thought he was a great guy, and I thought I was falling in love..." Rebecca pauses. "It was almost like it was out of a fairy tale until about seven months ago..."

Bailey paused. "What happened?"

Rebecca pauses so she can get a hold of her emotions. "I was in another pageant and it ran long due to some lighting issues. Well, I got home late and Teddy was there waiting on me. He immediately started to yell at me for being late...and...and...he ending up slapping me..."

Bailey looks on shocked. "He hit you?"

Rebecca nods. "He immediately apologized for it, and he said it would never happen again. Like an idiot, I believed him..."

"So, what happened after that?"

"Everything was fine for a couple of weeks, and then something else happened...I'm not sure what...and he was angry again. I tried to soothe him, but..." Rebecca swallows. "He hit me again..."

Bailey is stunned. "Oh my gosh!"

"I knew I should have broken up with him right then, but I thought I was in love with him. Again, he apologized. And the next two weeks, everything was better again. He even told me he was seeing a counselor so he could make sure he would never do anything like that again..."

Bailey can only shake her head. "I had no idea..."

Rebecca sighs. "I wish that was the end of it. But, one Saturday night, I had just won a pageant, and Teddy was there to support me. After it was over, he wanted to celebrate. It sounded like a good idea to me, but his idea of how to celebrate was a little different than mine..."

"What do you mean?"

Rebecca paused. "Teddy wanted to take our relationship to the next level, but I wasn't ready. So...so...so...he tried to rape me..."

Bailey is speechless and can only look on in shock at what Rebecca had just said.

_Back in Mr. Moseby's office_

Moseby is sitting back in his chair and thinking.

"That's certainly inventive..."

Cody smiles. "So, what do you think?"

"It could work..."

"Yes...It certainly could. Too bad I have to ruin it..."

Moseby and Cody look over to see Josh staring at them. Unfortunately, he is pointing a gun right at them...

_To be Continued..._

**Author's Note: As this is a sequel, just remember the rules of a sequel as told to us in **_**Scream 2.**_


	17. Its in the Blood

_Chapter 17_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Bailey just sat there in complete shock. Rebecca's ex-boyfriend had tried to...to...well, Bailey couldn't even finish the thought in her own mind. What kind of person would do that to someone else? While Bailey wasn't Rebecca's biggest fan, she knew she didn't deserve to have that happen to her. Finally, Bailey looked at Rebecca.

"I'm so sorry..."

Rebecca nods. "Thanks...You know, you're only the third person I've been able to admit to that it happened..."

"And Cody was the first?"

"Yeah...it just kind of came out...I finally called and told my mom this morning"

Bailey shakes her head. "You should have told someone about this before...a therapist...and the police..."

Rebecca lets out a little laugh. "That's the exact same thing Cody told me...Either you two have rubbed off on to each other, or you two are just alike..."

"You should be talking to a professional..."

Rebecca sighs. "I know. My mom is on her way to meet me, and she has already set up a session with for me with a doctor..."

Bailey sighs. "Good..."

Rebecca pauses. "Look, I owe you an explanation. For a long time, I was afraid of all guys. I had no faith in the male gender. When I was reminded of Cody, I guess I remembered how he was, and the thought of him was a way to remind myself that not all guys were bad like Teddy was. The idea that out there was a truly good man gave me hope again. Of course, when I ran into Zack yesterday and found out Cody was on board, the fantasy I had was coming into contact with reality. For some reason, seeing Cody again, I couldn't differentiate between the fantasy of him and the reality of him. And briefly, I lost it. But you should know that from the beginning, Cody made it clear where he stood and where his heart was...with you. But, in my thinking, you were in the way of my fantasy becoming a reality. So, I had to get you out of the picture. And that's when Josh found me and took advantage of my delusions..."

Bailey just sits there speechless again. What was she supposed to say to that?

Rebecca continued. "I should have known better. I should have known that Cody had a life of his own. I should have known that someone else had already grabbed him up. But, the good thing was that the real Cody turned out to be so much better than the fantasy one did. Cody has every reason to hate me right now, but yet, he is still willing to help me. I can see that the young boy I knew has grown into a fine young man..."

Bailey nods. "Yeah, he is..."

"And I'm glad he is. He's given me something to hold on to. I know for a fact that there are good guys still out there. I know now that that's real and not just something I can hold onto in my mind..." Rebecca smiles. "I just have to find one whose heart doesn't belong to someone else..."

Bailey pauses. "And mine belongs to him. That's why I was willing to do whatever it took to fight for him..."

"Good. He deserves someone who can truly appreciate him. And who can appreciate how lucky she is to have him..."

"I do...I want to spend the rest of my life with him..."

"Then, if I may, let me offer you some advice...Don't ever let go of him. There are girls out there who would love to have a guy like him. If you ever let go of him, it won't be long before someone else comes in to try to scoop him up for her very own..."

Bailey shakes her head. "I'm never going to let go of him..."

"Good. The other thing I would tell you is to remember just what you have and never take it for granted. Sure, you may have disagreements, but that doesn't change how you feel about each other. The good ones are few and far between, and the really good ones are even rarer. You know the saying, the grass isn't always greener on the other side. And from the way Cody talks about you, I know he would do anything for you..."

"Believe me, I know...I thank God every day that he was brought into my life..."

Rebecca nods. "Well, I've taken up enough of your time and intruded into your life far enough. I should go finish packing..."

Bailey is surprised. "You aren't staying for the pageant?"

"I am, but only because I want to make sure Josh gets what's coming to him...Beyond that, I don't care."

Bailey nods. "I was just thinking earlier that I need to drop out of it too. I know I don't have to win it anymore...I should go find Mr. Moseby."

"He's in his office with Cody right now..." Rebecca stands up for the door. Before leaving, she turns back one last time. "Again, I am really sorry. But, I know you will take good care of Cody. I wish you both the best..." And with that, Rebecca was gone.

Bailey just sat there thinking. These past couple of days had been absolutely crazy. And she wanted her normal life back, so she got up and made her way to Mr. Moseby's office to begin that process.

_Meanwhile, in Mr. Moseby's Office_

Josh is standing in the doorway smirking, focusing his gun between Cody and Moseby.

"I would suggest neither one of you move a muscle..."

Moseby raises his hands but addresses Josh. "Mr. Masters, I hope you have thought of the consequences of your actions..."

Josh laughed. "As opposed to what? Getting expelled and arrested for what I've already done? I had a perfect plan, but Martin over there had to go and ruin it..."

Cody paused. "How did I ruin anything?"

Josh rolls his eyes. "I'm not an idiot. I heard everything you told Moseby. I know now that the little slut Rebecca ratted me out..."

Moseby pauses. "So, what do you want now?"

Josh chuckled. "I want to be remembered for being great. If I can't be famous, I can be infamous. People would never acknowledge me when I was younger. I thought that having grown up, things would changed. But no one would give me the credit I thought I was due. And then that slut Bailey..."

Cody stares at him and interrupts him. "Don't you ever talk about her like that!"

"Or what? What are you going to do, Martin? I'm pretty sure I'm holding all the cards here!" Josh pauses. "Where was I?...Oh yes, the farm slut didn't show me the admiration I thought I warranted. So, when she tried to make my life a living hell, I figured I show her what a living hell was really like. I'd show her that you don't mess with Josh Masters! Unfortunately, her boyfriend had to be a friggin' boy scout and go and ruin my plans...Well, I have a new plan now. I thought her having to leave the ship and be separated from you would hurt her, but I can see that's not going to work..." Josh now aims the gun at Cody and has a crazed look in his eyes. "But, if I take you out...permanently...that will hurt her far worse than anything else I could do..."

Moseby is beginning to panic. "Now, Mr. Masters...you don't want to do that, they'll lock you up for the rest of your life..."

Josh laughs. "Oh, I don't know about all of that...I mean, my cousin tormented Cody and Bailey and got away with a slap on the wrist..."

Cody is confused. "Your cousin?"

"For such a smart guy, you sure our dumb...my cousin, Agnes..."

Cody can only stare back at Josh. Bailey saying that growing up Josh reminded her of Agnes made sense now. They shared the same bloodline. What were the odds of this happening Cody thought. Cody sighed. Knowing how his life had gone, pretty good. Cody knew he had to do something.

"Think about what you are doing, Josh...Do you really think Agnes is going to be happy if you kill me? She's still obsessed with my brother and I..."

Josh sneered. "After what you two did to her, I don't think she'll mind..."

Cody laughed. "You know, I should have know. You are just as psychotic and delusional as your cousin. Well, we foiled her plans, and we'll stop you too!"

"That will be hard to do when you're dead!"

As Josh has been talking, he hasn't noticed someone standing behind him, listening to everything he has said. Bailey just stood there. Hearing that Josh was planning on killing Cody had horrified her. He was really trying to make sure that she lost him. Bailey was scared to death, but knew she had to do something. She couldn't let him hurt Cody. She knew she would never make it without Cody by her side. Bailey quickly looked around and looked for anything she could find to use. She quickly looked behind the front desk and saw what she thought was her only option. She reached down and grabbed the lamp everyone had chipped in to buy Moseby in Morocco. Before making her move, she quickly rubbed the lamp one last time. But this time, she knew what her wish was...that everyone would come out of this okay and that her Cody would still be with her. As quietly as possible, she snuck up behind Josh.

Josh cocked his gun and smirked at Cody. "Any last words?"

Cody could only look at the gun pointed at him. In that brief moment, he saw his life flashing before his eyes. _Growing up on the road. Moving to Boston. All of his adventures in the Tipton with Zack, Maddie and London. Boarding the ship. Meeting Bailey. First kissing Bailey. Telling her that he loved her. Making love to her._ Cody swallowed and looked at Josh. "Yes, I do...But I won't give you the satisfaction of begging for my life..." Cody turns to Mosbey. "Tell all of my friends and family that I love them. Tell Bailey that my heart will always be hers and that I will see her again some day..."

Josh growls. "Enough of this..."

With that, Bailey, lifts the lamp and slams it into the back of his head with everything that she had. Josh immediately crumples to the floor and the gun flies out of his hand. However, it was the sound the Bailey will never forget. No, it wasn't the sound of the lamp making contact with his skull. It was the sound of the lone gunshot he had been able to get off...

_To be Continued..._


	18. After the Smoke Clears

_Chapter 18_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Bailey immediately leaped over Josh's fallen body and ran inside of Mr. Moseby's office. The sight she saw almost stopped her heart. Cody was lying face down, sprawled on the office carpet. Bailey immediately dropped to her knees and turned Cody over. She immediately begin checking him all over to see see if she could find any evidence of a wound. She saw no blood, but did see wet spot emanating on Cody's shorts. Bailey paused. Considering what had just happened, she wouldn't blame Cody if it was what she thought it was. But, as she looked closer, she saw a hole inside of one of the pockets on Cody's shorts. She fingered the hole and realized it was the right size for a bullet. Her fingers immediately went to Cody's throat, and she relaxed when she felt a pulse. She sighed...It looked the bullet had just missed him.

While she was doing this, Moseby immediately got up from behind his desk and descended upon Josh Masters. He saw the gun lying beside him, and he pulled out his pocket hanky to pick it up. He turned and quickly locked it in his desk drawer. He returned back over to Josh's limp body and made sure he was unconscious. After that was done, he immediately went over and knelt on the other side of Cody. He looked to Bailey.

"Is he okay?"

Bailey paused. "I don't see any blood, so that's a good thing. And there is what I think is a bullet hole in his shorts...I think it missed him though"

Moseby looks down at Cody. "Ummm...Did he..."

"He had a gun fired at him, I wouldn't blame him if he did..."

Moseby pauses. "True..."

About that time, Cody begins to stir. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Bailey and Moseby looking down at him. He shook his head to clear it of the cobwebs and attempted to sit up. Immediately, Bailey and Moseby held him down.

"Don't try to get up, Cody...we want to make sure you are alright..."

"I feel fine...What happened?"

Bailey reaches down to brush his hair out of his eyes. "Josh tried to shoot you..."

Cody pauses. "I remember him aiming the gun at me now...What happened after that?"

Bailey pauses. "I heard everything he was saying and was about to knock him out...but I wasn't fast enough..."

Cody looks up at her and smiles. "You saved my life..."

Bailey can feel herself getting emotional and her voice cracked. "Well...just returning the favor..."

Cody reaches down and can feel the wetness on his shorts. "What the...?" He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his can of bear repellant. It has the bullet lodged into the side of it with repellant leaking from the point of impact.

Cody begins to chuckle. "That's twice now this stuff has come in handy..."

It dawns on Bailey that the bullet hadn't missed him as she had originally thought, but actually would have hit him if not for the bear repellant. Tears form in her eyes and she reaches down and holds onto Cody tightly and begins to sob. She realizes just how close she came to losing him. Cody wraps his arms around Bailey and holds her close as he gently rubs her back. Finally, Bailey gets a hold of her emotions and helps Cody sit up. Cody notices Bailey has been crying and reaches up and wipes the tears from her eyes.

"Its okay, Bails...I'm fine, I promise."

Bailey begins to cry again. "But Cody, you could have been killed!"

Cody soothes her. "But I wasn't...I'm still here."

"Just the thought of you..." Bailey closes her eyes and shudders. The idea of him not in her life was not something she wanted to consider.

Cody smiles. "Do you really think you were going to get rid of me that easily?"

Bailey whimpers. "But I don't ever want to be rid of you..."

"And you won't be...Its like I told you, you're going to have to deal with me chasing after you when I'm old and gray...Of course, you will still be as beautiful as ever..."

Bailey can't help but smile and pulls Cody into her arms and begins to kiss him all over. "Cody, promise me nothing like this will ever happen again. I love you so much..."

"I love you too, Sweetie...And as long as we are together, I promise we can deal with anything..."

Bailey smiled. "I know we can..."

Moseby can only look on and smile. That certainly explained the wetness on his shorts. And it warmed his heart to watch the young couple. He had certainly been right about them. They were obviously very much in love with each other. He knew what that feeling was like. And just as he had thought that, Emma came rushing into the office.

She is panicking. "I heard a gun shot! Is everything alright?"

Moseby smiled. "Yeah, I think it is now...No one was hurt it appears."

Emma kneeled down next to Moseby and pulled him into her arms. She began to place kisses all over his face too. They finally break apart and discover Cody and Bailey staring at them and grinning. Moseby and Tut both try to avoid their gaze.

Cody speaks in his best Moseby tone. "Is there something going on here that we should know about?"

Moseby begins to hem and haw. "Well...Miss Tut...Emma and I have been seeing each other in a non-professional manner..."

Bailey begins to giggle. "You know, as your students, we can't officially condone this..."

Cody finishes for her. "But unofficially, we don't know anything...and we trust you both..."

Cody and Bailey both erupt in laughter with Moseby and Tut just looking at them. Moseby finally decides order is needed again and clears his throat.

Cody tries to control his laughter. "We're sorry...we couldn't help ourselves..."

Bailey nods. "Really, we are both happy for you..."

Cody nods too. "We are...And this explains soooooo much..."

Bailey giggles again. "You can say that again..."

Emma rolls her eyes and groans. "All we ask is that you tell no one else...We like things the way they are now, and don't want to ruin it..."

Bailey nods understandingly. "We won't..."

Cody smiles. "We completely understand..."

Moseby sighs. "Thank you..."

Cody pauses. "Now, if everyone wouldn't mind, I think I would like to go change. Shorts and boxers drenched in bear repellant aren't the most comfortable things in the world...In fact, its kind of starting to burn..."

Moseby laughs. "Well, its better than we originally thought it was..."

Cody pauses and then stares. "Wait a minute...You all thought I..."

Bailey rubs his back. "Its okay, Sweetie...Under the circumstances, no one would have blamed you if you had..."

Cody sighs and shrugs. "Thanks, I guess, but for the record, I didn't...What about Josh now?"

Moseby pauses. "He's in a heap of trouble right now...Attempted murder is a serious thing..."

Bailey shivers again. "Come on Cody, I'm not letting you out of my sight ever again..."

Cody pauses. "I won't argue there..." He turns to Moseby. "Forget my idea about the pageant...And consider this my resignation as a judge. I don't think I care to see another one again in my life..."

Bailey nods. "Make that two of us. I'm officially dropping out too..." She grabs Cody's hand. "I want to focus on what's truly important..."

Moseby nods. "I understand. As far as I'm concerned, its canceled...Let's just focus on getting Mr. Masters into custody right now..."

Everyone nods and turns to look at Josh, but he was gone.

_To be Continued..._

**Author's Note: I told everyone not to forget the rules of a sequel from Scream 2. One of those was never to assume the bad guy was dead/ incapacitated. Oh yeah, you didn't really think I would end it that easily, did you?  
**


	19. The Tiki Torch

_Chapter 19_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Everyone stares at each other as it dawns on them that Josh has escaped. And everyone begins to panic. Moseby is kicking himself for not securing him somehow, but at least he took his gun away from him. Cody set back and thought.

"I think I know where he is headed..."

Bailey pauses. "Rebecca..."

Cody nods. "We should go now and try to stop him..."

Bailey turns to Cody. "No, he almost killed you once, I won't give him another chance to do it again..."

Moseby sighs. "Cody is right, we have to stop Mr. Masters..."

Emma buts in. "Can't you just notify Kirby?"

"I will, but he may not be able to get there in time depending on where he is now...This is a big boat."

Cody nods. "Right, Mr. Moseby, you and I will go..." He turns to Bailey. "You stay with her with Miss Tutweiler and lock the door behind us after we leave. If he tries to come back, call us immediately..."

Bailey shakes her head. "No way! I already told you, I'm not letting you out of my sight again..."

Cody takes Bailey's hand. "Please, Bails...I want to make sure you are safe..."

Bailey looks at Cody incredulously. "Don't you think I want the same thing for you?"

Cody smiles. "I promise you. I'll be okay and I will come back to you once this over..."

"Cody..."

"Wild horses couldn't keep me from returning back to you..."

Bailey sighs. She knows Cody too well to know she will be able to talk him out of this. "Be careful..."

Cody smiles. "I will. I have all the motivation in the world to be..."

Bailey leans in and kisses Cody. "Good luck...and there will be more of those when you get back..." Bailey turns and sees Moseby and Tut looking at her. "What?"

Moseby shakes his head, and after getting a similar kiss for Emma, he and Cody head out. On their way out, they run into Woody, Addison, Zack and Cassie. They quickly fill them in on what just happened, and they instruct Cassie and Addison to go wait with Bailey and Tut in Moseby's office. They thought they knew who Josh was going after, but wanted to be sure he didn't go after anyone else. When the girls were off, the guys decided it might be best to break off into pairs and each pair take a different path to Rebecca's cabin. Moseby and Woody went one way and Zack and Cody went another.

_Meanwhile, back in Rebecca's cabin_

Rebecca is finishing packing her things except for what she would need the next day. She sighed to herself. She couldn't wait for the day when she didn't have to pack everything she owned up for these pageants. She had decided that she was done with them forever. She would find a different way to find the remaining money she needed for vet school. She was more focused on getting her life back on track right now. She paused when she heard a knock at her door. Rebecca sighed, wondering who it could be now. She went over to open it, but before she could crack it open, Josh pushed his way inside.

Rebecca sighed. "What do you want now?"

Josh sneered at her. "I hope you're happy now! Thanks to you, everything is up in smoke!"

Rebecca paused. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't give me that! I know you told Martin everything! My plan for destroying Bailey is over before it could get started!"

Rebecca found herself getting scared. "Look, what you were trying to do was wrong. Cody and Bailey didn't try to hurt anyone..."

Josh smirked. "I guess you are saying that I don't count...They hurt me!"

"How? You tried flirting with her and you got shot down. I hardly consider that the end of the world..."

Josh was seething. "You know nothing about me..."

"I know you've gone psychotic...Maybe I'm not the only one who needs to talk to a professional..."

Josh grinned. "You won't be talking to anyone..." Josh began to move closer to Rebecca. Rebecca, in turn, felt panic begin to overtake her. She prayed this couldn't be happening to her twice. She could feel her body freezing up on her, unable to move a muscle. Josh kept inching closer and closer to her. Rebecca closed her eyes, almost waiting for the inevitable. She swallowed and waited...but something inside of her made her open her eyes again. And instead of seeing Josh approaching her, she saw Teddy. Rebecca could feel her breathing growing more and more rapid. She decided right then and there that she would no longer be a victim. Josh placed his hands on her shoulders and begin to apply pressure. So, summoning all of her courage, Rebecca lifted her knee square into Josh's groin. His shock and pain at her move gave her just what she needed...a change to escape.

Rebecca quickly ran out of the cabin and moved away as fast as her legs would allow her. She looked back to see if he was coming for her, when she felt her self hit what she thought was a brick wall. In her daze, she turned around and thought she was seeing double. But regaining her senses, she realized she was. She had run directly into Zack and Cody. Quickly, she explained to them about what just happened and pointed back to her cabin. The twins just nodded and made their way towards her room.

When they got to the door, the looked inside to see Josh still hunched over. Cody and Zack looked at each other, but didn't speak a word. As if they could read each other's minds, the both quickly descended on Josh. Zack threw Josh on to the bed and Cody pounced on him, again pulling his arms behind his back. Zack began to look around to find something to use to subdue Josh, but couldn't find anything. Cody looked around too, but he had to focus his attention on a struggling Josh beneath him. Zack finally saw something. He went over to the blind's and yanked them down by the cord. He reached up and tore the cord away from the frame and brought it back over to Cody. Quickly, Cody took the cord and wrapped them around Josh's wrists and then down around his ankles. Getting off the bed, Cody leaned down and whispered something into Josh's ear and then laughed.

At that time, Rebecca came running back into the room followed by Moseby and Woody. All three paused at the sight before them. Moseby sighed and telephoned Kirby to get to the room ASAP. Within a few minutes, Kirby and a few other security guards entered the room and took custody of Josh. Everyone finally relaxed and made their way back to Moseby's office, asking Rebecca to join them if she wanted.

Upon returning to the office, the girls inside proceeded to hug their significant others with the exception of Emma. But, as Bailey hugged Cody, Bailey looked at her and winked. Finally, everyone settled down and took time to finally catch their breath. This nightmare was finally over. Finally, Zack turned to Cody.

"Bro, what did you whisper in Josh's ear right before you got off of him?"

Cody smiled. "Simple...I told him to never mess with a guy whose girlfriend showed him how to hogtie..."

Bailey found herself blushing, but at the same time, she was very proud of her boyfriend.

And with that, everyone shared a good laugh. Cody continued. "Now, if everyone will excuse me, I really need to go change shorts and shower...It feels like someone is following me around with a tiki torch..."

Without thinking, Bailey grabs his hand. "I should probably go help him..."

Everyone just looked at Cody and Bailey. Zack and Cassie began to snicker, but quickly shot each other a "What do you know?" look. Moseby's eyes went wide. Bailey realized what she said. "Oh, you know what I mean! He almost got shot less than an hour ago, I'm not letting him out of my sight...Does anyone have a problem with that?" She looked around but gave Moseby and Tutweiler a knowing a look.

Moseby just sighs. "Just don't lose those shorts and the can of bear repellant...I'm sure they will be needed as evidence..."

Cody has been smiling through the whole last exchange. "I won't..."

Bailey begins tugging on Cody's arm. "I'm just glad this is finally over..."

Cody nods. "Me too...Me too..."

_**To be Continued...**_


	20. Fratricide

_Chapter 20_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Cody just let his head fall under the shower head. He had already washed off the bear repellant and the discomfort it had brought. So, he just stood there, letting everything that had happened the past couple of days wash off of him as well. He could feel himself relaxing as the hot water just soothed him. He momentarily stiffened up when he felt two arms wrap around his chest, but he settled down when he realized they could only belong to one person.

"I thought you told everyone you weren't being serious about literally helping me..."

"What can I say?...I lied..."

Cody turns around to face her. "I'm glad you did..."

"Besides, I said I wasn't letting you out of my sight..." Bailey grins. "Even if that means joining you in the shower..."

Cody grins. "I always knew you had impeccable reasoning..."

"So, is the burning feeling gone?"

"Yeah, thankfully it is...But, I've decided I go nowhere without the bear repellant now..."

Bailey glances down and sees a bruise beginning to form on Cody's hip. "Oh my gosh...You have a huge bruise!"

Cody shrugs. "It'll heal..."

Bailey looks back up and into Cody's eyes. "It still scares me death to think how close I came to losing you..." She pauses. "That's my greatest fear you know...that you will be taken away from me..."

Cody smiles. "I'm still here and have no desire to be anywhere else..."

Bailey nods. "I know...I guess I always knew that...Its just...Cody, I have no idea what I would do if I didn't have you in my life..."

Cody reaches down and takes Bailey's hands. "Baby, I am going to be in your life...forever..."

Bailey pauses. "You promise?"

Cody nods. "Cross my heart..."

Bailey smiles. "Good..."

Cody smiles. "I'm just glad you showed up when you did earlier...How did you know I was in Moseby's office?"

Bailey paused. "Rebecca told me...she stopped here to see me..."

"How did that go?"

"She told me everything, Cody..."

Cody nods. "I would have told you, but I didn't think it was my place..."

Bailey smiles. "I know...and I understand why you didn't tell me..." Bailey pauses. "I couldn't believe what her ex did to her..."

"Its hard for me to fathom that someone could do something like that..."

"And it explained your reaction when I joked with you to smack me if I ever got too stubborn again. Cody, I've never once considered you ever raising a hand to me. I know you wouldn't. And as for the rest, I also know you would never do that either. I mean, I know you were getting as turned on as I was, but still you wouldn't do anything until after our talk in New Haven..."

"Because I love you..."

Bailey smiles. "I know...and I also know that since I've stepped in the shower with you, you haven't broken eye contact with me..."

Cody smiles. "Bails...If I did look down, I'd be totally in awe of what I would see and wouldn't be able to form a coherent thought..."

"You act like that would be a bad thing...Besides, we haven't been able to officially make up yet..."

Cody looks at Bailey. "But we don't have to..." Cody pauses and smiles. "There you go with your impeccable reasoning again..."

Bailey smiles. "Cody..."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and kiss me..."

And with that Cody, leans down and kisses Bailey as he pulls her closer to him. "Do you have any idea just how much I love you?"

"Hopefully as much as I love you..." Bailey leans in and resumes the kiss bringing more passion to it. Both feel themselves getting lost in it. So much that both actually think they can hear their hearts beating. When they pull apart, both look at each other breathlessly. But this time, they hear it again. It wasn't their hearts. It was someone pounding on the bathroom door. Cody sighs, slips out of the shower, wraps a towel around him and opens the door a crack to find his brother Zack grinning at him.

"Zack...Why are you interrupting...my shower?"

"The local authorities have choppered in to take Josh into custody. They want your shorts and for you and Bailey to come up to the sky deck to make your statements..."

Cody sighs. "Bailey's...not here...she...umm..."

Zack just shakes his head. "Yeah, whatever...Go back inside and tell her that Moseby wants to see you both up there is twenty minutes..."

Cody just looks at his brother. "But...but..."

Zack laughs. "Oh, I'm going to have sooooo much fun with this..." And with that, Zack turns and leaves, closing the cabin door behind him.

Cody closes the bathroom door and slips back into the shower. "Bails..."

Bailey smiles. "Its okay, I overheard everything..."

Cody sighs. "Fratricide would be wrong, wouldn't it?"

Bailey laughs. "Probably...but the sooner we tie up the loose ends, the sooner we can come back here and finish what we started..."

Cody smiles. "So, I can get a rain check?"

"You better believe it...But its more like a shower check..."

"Still, remind me the next time we dock somewhere to buy a deadbolt or one of the chain thingies..."

Bailey laughs. "Count on it..." Bailey pauses. "Cody, did you mean what you said?"

"What thing that I said?"

"That if Josh had...you know...that you would see me again some day?"

Cody smiled. "Of course...I know it sounds silly, but I had that sappy scene at the end of Titanic in my head..."

Bailey smiles and laughs. "Sweetie, while I love your sentiment, can we not mention the Titanic while we are on a boat ourselves?"

Cody laughs. "Oh yeah...Come on, lets go get this over with...The sooner we do that, the sooner we get to come back here..."

And with that, they turned off the water and dried themselves off. Cody changed clothes, but told Bailey she should probably put back on what she was wearing or others may ask questions. She thought and agreed with him. And with that, they grabbed the shorts and can of bear repellant and headed up to the skydeck.

Both dutifully gave their statements and handed over all evidence they had including the shorts, bear repellant and Josh's recording device. After getting both of their stories, the police officer asked Bailey if the name Mindy Sue Johnson rang a bell. Bailey paused, thought, and said the name sounded familiar, but it would have been years ago. The officer went on to fill Cody and Bailey in on that Josh had tried to destroy Mindy Sue's life while he was in middle school. Fortunately, he had been thwarted then as well. Mostly due to her father being quite wealthy and literally threatening to turn Josh into his new scarecrow. After that, his family moved away quite quickly. Cody mentioned that Josh's cousin had tried to destroy them several months ago and asked the officer if they could forward a family tree to them so they could be on the lookout in the future. The officer could only laugh and nod.

Once they was finished, Cody and Bailey were ready to head back to their cabin to take care of some unfinished business when they were roped into joining everyone for dinner. They merely sighed and went along with them. Throughout dinner, everyone kept asking Cody about being shot. Cody tried to deflect everything and shift it to Bailey as she had been a hero. Bailey could only blush, but her heart was warmed knowing that she had protected the man she loved.

And of course, Zack took every chance he could get to throw verbal barbs and his brother and his girlfriend. When others were talking among themselves, he turned to his brother and told him not to drop the soap. Cody could only groan and shake his head. And when dinner was over, he suggested they all go out and have some nice clean fun. Cody was about to say something when Bailey cut him off. She smirked at Zack and said that Cody and her had a previous engagement and wouldn't be able to join them. She grabbed Cody's hand and begun to drag him away from the table. Cody could only shrug his shoulders and smile. Before, they left though, Bailey paused and leaned down to whisper something in Zack's ear that made his face turn white.

As they made their way back to the cabin, Cody stopped her and asked her what she had told Zack. Bailey just sweetly smiled at him.

"I just reminded him that I knew how to castrate a bull with my bare hands..."

Cody could only shake his head and laugh. Then he leaned in and kissed her again. "You know, his idea about some good clean fun does have some merit..."

"Yeah, what do you have in mind?"

Cody smiled. "You think the tub in our bathroom is big enough for two?"

Bailey grins. "Only one way to find out..." And with that, she grabs his arm and begins to drag him towards the cabin again.

_To be Continued..._

**Author's Note: After so much drama, I was ready for some fluff. I promise things will heat up again soon. And I'm posting early tonight so I can go watch my Kentucky Wildcats have 5 players drafted in the first round.**_  
_


	21. The Practice Test

_Chapter 21_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Life on board the ship returned to normal. Rebecca's mom met her at the next port of call, and they both headed home together. Before she left though, she wanted to thank Cody again for all of his help. Cody could only nod and say he was glad to help. And again, they departed as friends...with nothing more than a simple handshake.

Josh didn't fare so well. He was extradited back to the United States where authorities were ready to throw the book on him. However, upon a psychological examination, Josh was deemed unfit to stand trial. Quietly, he was taken away to an institution where he would get the help that he needed. Unfortunately for him, the charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping (he did forcibly keep Cody and Moseby in Moseby's office), attempted fraud and a whole other slew of charges were waiting on him on the day he ever became well again.

Back on board, October moved on slowly. Everyone was busy with their school work and impeding midterms at the end of the month. And to add on to that, for most of the seniors and several of the juniors, the SATs were scheduled for October 30, the Saturday of the Halloween Costume Ball. While the SATs were no longer a concern for Cody and Bailey, they did decide to help their friends prepare for them.

So, it was with that everyone found themselves in the ship's library. Cody and Bailey had their laptops with them, working on their own school work while Woody, Addison, Zack, Cassie and London were all taking a practice test. Cody and Bailey couldn't help but look around at their friends and the faces they were making. All seemed deep in thought, but were unintentionally making some of the funniest faces anyone could imagine.

Cody turned to Bailey and whispered. "I'm sure glad we have all of this done and over with..."

Bailey nodded. "Me too...Not just the SATs, but the college applications, the waiting to hear if you are accepted..."

"I know..." Cody chuckled. "I mean, we don't have anything we really have to worry about now except to make sure we graduate..."

Bailey smiled. "True...but somehow I don't see either of us kicking back and coasting the rest of the way..."

Cody smiled. "Me either...besides, I still have to secure being the valedictorian..."

Bailey looked at Cody and laughed. "You, the valedictorian? Sweetie, I hope you won't take it too hard when you only get salutatorian..."

"Salutatorian? That would mean someone beat me out for first. Not gonna happen..."

"Don't be so sure about that..." Bailey grins. "After all, I did have the better admissions essay and I did beat you in darts, ping pong and Simon Says..."

Cody grins. "True...But just remember which one of us had the higher SAT score..."

"Ohhhh...This sounds like a challenge, Mr. Martin!"

Cody laughs. "It sure does...What are your terms, Miss Pickett?"

Bailey paused. "Wait a minute...What are we doing? I thought we agreed no more competitions..."

Cody paused and sighed. "You're right...Bails, you know if you got valedictorian, I'm be just as happy as if I got it myself..."

"Same here...I'd be proud to say my boyfriend was the valedictorian..."

Cody smiled. "And you know, it wouldn't be impossible for us to tie, you know...We're tied right now as it is..."

Bailey smiled. "That would be nice..."

Cody looks around, grins, and lean. "I have an idea..."

"What is it?"

"What if we did a different kind of competition. More of an us against the world. We work together to make sure that at least one of us gets it..."

Bailey smiled. "I like the sound of that..."

"Me too..."

Bailey smiles. "Alright, Mr. Martin...but, if by chance, only one of us does get it, does the winner get any perks?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"This..." Bailey leans over and whispers her idea into Cody's ear.

Cody smiles. "Deal..."

Just then, the timer for the practice test goes off. Cody looked up and called time. Everyone grumbled as they put their pencils down. Cody collected them and brought them back to Bailey so they could grade them. Cody heard a thumping noise and looked up to see Zack banging his head against the table.

"Zack, what are you doing?"

"Trying to get the thoughts of one train leaving New York and the other leaving Los Angeles out of my mind..."

Cody tried to hold back his laughter. "I think everyone take a few minutes to go stretch and relax..."

Zack looked up at his brother. "Cody, I will give you a thousand dollars to take the SAT for me...You can use my ID and no one will ever know..."

Cody just shook his head. "Zack...You don't have a thousand dollars..."

London perked up. "But I do! And I'll make it two thousand!"

Bailey looked up at London. "London, don't you want the satisfaction of knowing you earned your score all by yourself?"

London gave Bailey a look like she was crazy. "No...And aren't you the one who sulked for a week because Cody beat you by two points?"

Bailey could only sigh.

Woody snickered. "Yeah, she was. I know I wouldn't complain at all if I got a 1550..."

Bailey tries to explain. "It wasn't the score that I was upset with...Cody and I had made a bet with each other and it kind of stung to only lose by two points..."

London laughed. "Lose? How do either of you lose with the bets you two make? What did you have to do, give him a foot rub?"

Cody smiles. "Actually, it was a full massage..."

Bailey turns and stares at "Cody!"

London interrupts them. "Can you guys just get on with grading our practice exams. Some of us have better things to do then watch you two be all cutesy with each other..."

Cody looks over at Bailey. "I'll grade the math, you grade the verbal..." Cody grins. "Wanna bet who can get done first?"

Zack, Cassie, Woody, Addison and London all yell "NO!"

Cody and Bailey look at each other and then back at their friends.

Zack sighs. "We'd actually like to know what our real scores are without you two making a mistake by going too fast..."

Cody nods. "Right...My bad..."

And with that, Cody and Bailey sit down to score the practice tests. Both diligently go through each one and write down the correct half score on each practice test. Cody gets to his last one and pauses. He grades it again and is having trouble believing what he is seeing. He turns to Bailey and sees she is doing the same thing. "Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"

Bailey shrugs. "Looks like it..."

London looks at them. "What's the hold up?"

Bailey pauses. "Well, Woody, you got a combined 1140..."

Woody nods. "Not bad..."

Cody continues. "Addison, you got a combined 1174..."

Addison smiles. "I'll take it!"

Bailey picks up her next one. "Cassie, a 1267..."

Zack smiles at his girlfriend. "Showoff..."

Bailey picks up her last one. "And London...a 1222...Good job."

London begins clapping. "Yay Me!"

Zack looks over at them. "Well, let's hear it...How bad did I do?"

Cody looks at his brother. "Zack...I don't know what to say...Congratulations...a combined 1502..."

Zack jaw drops open and everyone else just looks at him.

_To be Continued..._

**Author's Note: I figured there was just something about a guy named Zack getting a 1502.**


	22. Tough Decisions

_Chapter 22_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

It was the Friday night before the SATs and the Halloween Costume Ball. Everyone was cramming one last night of studying in. Zack's success on his practice tests had really gotten him thinking the past couple of weeks. It was dawning on him that college was something he actually wanted to do and could do well at. However, at the same time, it also reminded him that his time with all of his friends was also finite (He learned that word studying) and was going to come to an end soon. Zack knew he would always see Cody and by extension Bailey, but there was someone else more pressing on his mind – Cassie. Zack knew that they had only been dating about eight months, but he knew he was in no hurry to be separated from her again. After watching Cody and Bailey talk and make their plans about going to college together, Zack thought why not he and Cassie too? They may not be able to get into Yale, but they could find a place for them. Finally, he knew he had to talk to her.

But, unknown to Zack, Cassie was having the exact same thoughts. But, to add on to her worries was the fact that Zack's score could be so much better than hers. The score itself didn't matter to her...she knew she and Zack weren't as competitive as her cousin and his brother...but it could limit her chances of going to the same school as him. She knew if Zack was given an opportunity to go somewhere great, she couldn't hold him back. But, she wanted to be selfish and be there with him. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt her shoulders being rubbed. She looked up and saw Zack smiling at her.

"You want to go for a walk, give our minds a chance to rest?"

Cassie smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I think I could use that right now..."

So, with that, Zack and Cassie got up and left the library. As they began walking around the deck, Zack finally built up the courage he needed and brought up the subject.

"Cassie...ummm...have you thought about what colleges you are going to apply to?"

Cassie sighs. "Actually, I have...That's something I wanted to talk to you about..."

Zack's eyebrows raise. "Yeah?"

"Look, Zack...I know we haven't been going out all that long..."

Zack smiles. "Eight months is a pretty long time to me..."

Cassie smiles. "Well, for me too..." She pauses. "Its just...what happens next year? What will happen if you are one place and I'm in another?"

Zack looks at her. "That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about...I was wondering if there was anyway where we could be in the same place...together"

Cassie has a sad smile. "That would be nice Zack, but with your likely score, you can probably get into someplace better than I can. I couldn't hold you back like that..."

"You wouldn't be...To be honest, I think if we were in different places, it would drive me crazy..."

Cassie is confused. "Why would it do that?"

"Well..." Zack pauses. "I know I would be constantly thinking about you and worrying that there were other guys hitting on you and I would be powerless to stop it..."

Cassie smiles. "Zack, I can take care of myself. If a strong 'no' didn't do it, a knee to the groin would certainly convey my message..."

Zack smiles. "Its more than that though. When we were apart this summer, I was miserable. And to make matters worse, while I couldn't be with you, I had to endure Cody and Bailey...well, being Cody and Bailey...It made me miss you all the more..."

"That's sweet...You know, there may be a romantic inside you after all..."

"Well, this romantic wants to stay with you next year if possible. Is it?"

Cassie sighs. "I wish it would be too...But, how do we know we can get into the same college?"

Zack grins. "Easy, we both apply to the same schools and choose one from the schools we both get into..."

Cassie pauses. "That could work...But what schools do we apply too?"

Zack pauses to think too. "Well, we need to sit down and figure out what we might want to study, where we want to study, and what else we are looking for in a school..."

Cassie nods. "Yeah...Good idea."

Zack grins. "And when we do, we make Cody and Bailey write our admissions essays for us..."

Cassie laughs. "How do we do that?"

Zack smiles. "You leave that to me...You know, I think we've done all we can do studying wise. Why don't we head back and pull out one of the books on colleges and universities and see if we can find some we agree on..."

Cassie smiles. "What are we waiting for?"

And with that, Zack and Cassie make their way back to the library.

_Meanwhile_

Cody and Bailey are just hanging around their cabin, taking it easy on a Friday night. They are laying back in bed, watching their newest movie selection on one of their laptops. When the movie ends, Bailey turns to Cody.

"You know, we still haven't decided what our costumes are going to be for tomorrow night. We really should come up with something."

Cody nods. "Any ideas?"

Bailey pauses and smiles. "How about Romeo and Juliet?"

"Didn't they both commit suicide at the very end?"

"Oh yeah...What about you, any ideas?"

Cody paused. "What about Pierre and Marie Curie?"

Bailey shakes her head. "No, he was run over by a horse and she died from radiation poisoning..." Bailey pauses and smiles. "How about Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara?"

Cody smiles. "Don't you think we already have the beautiful Southern belle and dashing Northern gentleman down pat in our regular lives?"

Bailey giggles. "True..."

"What about King Arthur and his Guinevere?"

Bailey shakes her head. "No thanks, she dumped him for Lancelot and he ended up having a kid with his sister..."

Cody pauses. "I've got it!...Dorothy and the Scarecrow!"

Bailey shakes her head vehemently. "Absolutely not! I hate that movie!"

Cody looks surprised. "Really? I guess I just figured since you were from Kansas...Oh well...this is a lot harder than it should be..."

Bailey frowns. "I know...but I want our costumes to be something special...something representative of us..."

"Yeah...but something fun too..."

"I know..."

Cody laughs. "We could go as Moseby and Tut..."

Bailey laughs. "That would be fun...but we promised we wouldn't say anything. Us doing that could cause questions..."

Cody pauses and smiles. "How about we go as Zack and Cassie?"

Bailey rolls her eyes. "You wouldn't have do anything for your costume!"

Cody grins. "I know..."

Bailey glares at Cody. "I don't think so, Cody Martin..."

Cody shrugs. "Worth a shot..."

"Come on, we can do this...There has to be something out there that neither of us can find a reason to object to..."

"Tell you what, Bails...You decide. I only ask that you don't ask me to dress in drag..."

Bailey mock pouts. "Awww...Come on, Codykins...Don't you want to show off your legs?"

Cody shakes his head. "No thank you. You have the legs in this relationship...I just have the...no, you have that too...okay, I got it, I've got the...no, you have that too...The only thing I can think that I have is the height, but that's just barely..."

Bailey smiles. "And for a while, you didn't even have that..."

Cody sighs. "Its not my fault my growth spurt came late!"

"I'm just teasing you, Sweetie...But I do happen to think you have great legs...and strong arms...and solid shoulders...and a wonderful smile...and those eyes..."

Cody smiles. "Okay, okay...I get it..."

"Good...Now, lets get back to what we were talking about. Our costumes for tomorrow..."

Cody pauses to think. He looks down to the laptop and sees what the next movie in their queue is. And a thought comes to him. He clicks on it and shows it to Bailey. "What do you think?"

Bailey glances at the screen and her face lights up in a smile. "I love that movie..." She pauses. "Are you suggesting that we..."

Cody smiles. "I'm game if you are..."

Bailey smiles. "Its perfect!"

_**To be Continued...**_

**Author's Note: I promise, things will get stormy again in the next chapter.**_**  
**_


	23. Something is a Brewing

_Chapter 23_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

It was a normal morning on the ship's bridge. The captain was sitting back, drinking his morning coffee. Everything seemed to be running smoothly as usual. However, his morning was soon to be interrupted when Haggis came running onto the bridge.

"Captain, you have to take a look at this!"

The captain took a look at the report that Haggis had with him. As he read, a frown etched itself on his face. He turned to Haggis. "What are the chances this moves on?"

Haggis sighed. "Not good...not good at all..."

_Meanwhile_

Everyone was up bright and early that morning and found themselves sitting in the classrooms on a Saturday. Well, almost everyone. A couple of people were still sleeping in while everyone else was testing their skills in math and verbal. After several long hours, the last pencil was put down and all of the answer sheets were collected. The exams were quickly gathered up and immediately taken to be sent to the scoring center. Everyone slowly made their way out of the rooms and headed back to their cabins for a well deserved nap.

Later that night, the ballroom was decorated exquisitely for Halloween. The original plan was to have it on the skydeck, but the ship had been dealing with strong winds all day. The students began filing in around eight o'clock and within a half hour, the party was in full swing. Among the first to arrive had been Woody and Addison, dressed as Fred and Wilma Flintsone. Woody found his costume to be rather comfortable and had complained to Addison that he wished animal skins were still acceptable fashion. Addison could only role her eyes and smile at her boyfriend.

A few minutes later, Zack and Cassie entered the skydeck. Both were dressed in outfits from the 1930's and both had a toy machine gun in their free hands. Mr. Moseby happened to walk by them when they came in, then stopped and backed up so he could see them again.

"Taking your level of hooliganry up another level, Zack?"

Zack could only laugh. "Moseby...I'm Clyde Barrow tonight."

Moseby nodded and turned to Cassie. "I assume that makes you Bonnie Parker then..."

Cassie smiled. "You got it..."

Moseby laughed. "Well, if anything goes wrong tonight, I know the first two I will be looking for..."

Zack shook his head. "Mr. Moseby...I've been good lately. I haven't done anything bad all semester..."

Moseby glares at Zack. "I know...that's what scares me. I keep waiting for something big to happen..."

Cassie grins. "Sounds like a challenge to me..."

"Oh no...Not you too...You're supposed to be the good influence on him!"

"Thank you, Mr. Moseby..."

Just then, one of the first mates on the ship came up and handed something to Moseby, and he quickly glanced at it. He turned back to Zack and Cassie. "Excuse me, there is something I need to see to..."

Zack and Cassie walk over to Woody and Addison.

"Nice costume, Woodster..."

"Thanks, Zack...Its very comfortable, but a little bit breezy..."

Zack pauses. "Woody, you are wearing something underneath of it, right?"

Woody smiles and shakes his head. "Nope, I wanted to be authentic..."

"But the Flintstones were just a...Nevermind..."

Addison chimes in. "Do either of you know what Cody and Bailey are coming as?"

Cassie shakes her head. "No idea. As of last night, they hadn't decided yet..."

Zack happens to look over at the entrance. "Well, there they are now..."

Everyone looks over and sees Cody and Bailey enter. Bailey is dressed in a reddish orange peasant gown with matching shoes. But what really stood out was Cody's costume. He had on black pirate boots with black pants tucked into them and a sword hanging at his side. He wore a black peasant's shirt with black gloves. And on his head, he wore a black bandana with a black mask attached to it. Cody and Bailey made their way over to their friends.

Zack just looked at his brother. "And what are you supposed to be?"

Cody smiles. "But I am the Dread Pirate Roberts, and this is my Princess Buttercup..."

Cassie and Addison both light up. "I love that movie!"

Woody and Zack can only roll their eyes.

Zack sighs. "Well, at least you didn't come dressed up like a scientist. I guess a pirate is pretty cool..."

Cody smiles. "Thanks, Zack...or should I say Clyde..."

Zack smiles. "That's right! I rob banks and live my life on the run..."

Bailey laughs. "Just try to avoid desolate roads and hidden ambushes..."

Just then, a song Bailey loves begins to play. She turns to Cody. "Come on, lets go dance."

Cody smiles. "As you wish..."

The party continues going and everyone seems to be having a good time. Cody and Bailey finally take a break from the dance floor to get themselves some punch. As they are catching their breath, Miss Tutweiler comes over to them.

"Cody, Bailey...Could I have a word with you two?"

Bailey and Cody nod and walk over with Miss Tutweiler to a more private area of the ballroom.

Emma sighs. "I'm not sure exactly how to bring this up..."

Cody and Bailey look at each other in confusion trying to figure out what this all about.

Emma continues. "I know you two have been dating for a while, and when people have, they tend to think that they should take the next step..."

It dawns on Cody and Bailey where Tut is going with this conversation.

Emma continues. "Marion and I just want to make sure you two think about how that could affect your relationship. Its a very big step..."

Bailey finally answers. "Miss T, I promise you, if Cody and I do decide to take that next step, we will sit down with each other first and discuss everything with each other..."

"Bailey's right. We both care about each other too much to risk doing something that could affect our relationship negatively..."

Emma smiles. "Good...Marion had this crazy notion that you two...Forget I said anything."

"We promise that if we do feel we are ready for that next step, it will be when we are both ready."

"That's all I can ask. I know you two. You are my two most responsible students. Now, you two get back to having fun." And with that, Emma walks away.

Cody and Bailey watch Emma walk away. When she is on the other side of the room, both erupt into laughter.

"Okay, that was kind of awkward..."

Bailey nods. "But then again, we didn't tell her anything that wasn't true..."

"Except for the fact that we had that discussion four months ago..."

"True, and the fact that we were both more than ready...I do appreciate their concern though..."

Cody nods. "Yeah..." He pauses and grins. "Think they would if we sat them down and had a little chat with them about their relationship?"

Bailey giggles. "Probably not..."

"Oh well, we'll just have to be a little more careful about what we say and do around them..."

"Yeah, I guess my comment about helping you shower and change didn't help..."

Cody smiled. "It sure helped me..."

Bailey smiled. "And I was more than happy to help..."

"Come on...Lets go dance again before I need your 'assistance' again..."

Bailey grins. "Do we have to? I haven't done my good deed for the day yet..."

Cody is about to reply when they hear the ships horn blasting.

"What the...?"

The blast is followed by four more of the same duration. Cody and Bailey look at each other. Both are flashing back to their Seven Seas High Manuel and the meaning of the various horn blasts.

Bailey is stunned. "D...D...Did we just hear five blasts of the horn?"

Cody looks worried too. "Uh huh...and that means..."

Bailey finishes for him. "HURRICANE!"

_To be Continued..._


	24. I Don't Think Were in Kansas Anymore

_Chapter 24_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Bailey can feel herself beginning to freak out. She can only stand there and feel the room closing in on her. Bailey feels her breathing getting more and more rapid almost to the point of hyperventilating. This couldn't be happening to her again, could it? Bailey closed her eyes to try to get her emotions under control. She still had nightmares from the first time. She could only think that she had worked so hard to get past this, and now, here it was staring her straight in the eye again. The only thing the stopped her from having a full on panic attack was feeling Cody take her hand in his.

Cody was worried. "Bails?"

Bailey opened here eyes and looked up at Cody. She whimpered. "A hurricane?"

Cody could only nod. "I know... We need to go find our friends and make sure they know what's going on. After that, we have to go find ourselves somewhere safe to ride this out..."

Bailey can only nod. She knew she was in no condition to make any decisions or have to think right then. Cody began to drag her back to the dance floor to search for everyone else. Cody quickly looked around and saw Zack, Cassie, Woody and Addison looking up at the sky through one of the windows. Quickly, he lead Bailey over to them.

"Guys, you heard the horn, right?"

Zack nods. "Yeah, but look at the sky. It looks weird..."

Cody is exasperated. "That's what the horn meant! There's a hurricane!"

Everyone just looks at each other in shock and begins to ask questions. Cody glances around and continues. "Where's London?"

Zack looks around and notices London dancing with some guy. "Over there..."

Cody pauses. "I'm going to go get her. Everyone else stay right here."

Cody makes his way over to London and interrupts her conversation. "London, I need you to come with me right now..."

London plasters a fake smile on her face as she turns to Cody. "Can't you see I'm busy, Cody...I'm talking to Brad..." She turns back to her dance partner. "Now, where were we?"

The guy rolls his eyes. "Its Brian, and I need to get going anyways..."

London turns back to Cody and glares. "Thanks a lot!"

Cody sighs. "London, did you not hear the ship's horn?"

London looks annoyed. "What about it?"

"It was alerting us that we are about to get hit by a hurricane!"

London looks at Cody in shock. "What?"

"Look, I'll explain later, but we need to make sure all of us are safe. Come with me back to everyone else and we'll figure out what to do..."

London is about to argue, but seeing the serious look in Cody's eyes, she nods. They return back to the group.

Zack looks at his brother. "Alright, Codester, what do we do?"

Cody pauses. He can't help but notice that Bailey still looks really shaken. He can't help but to worry about her, but right then, he knew he had to worry about everyone's safety. "London, your cabin is an interior one right?"

London just looks at Cody. "Huh?"

Cody sighs. "Nevermind...I'm pretty sure it is..."

London pauses. "If you say so..." She turns to Zack and whispers. "What is he talking about?"

Cody ignores her. "Good, we're all going to your cabin..."

Zack perks up. "Why?"

"One, its the largest. Two, its on a higher deck than any of the rest of ours. Finally, there is no chance of windows breaking and us being hit with shards of glass and water getting in..."

Zack nods. "Works for me...Alright, lets get moving!"

Cody shakes his head. "Not just yet. Everyone go back to their own cabins and change into something comfortable. I'm not sure how long we will be there. And while you're there, try to board up your portholes the best that you can...At the very latest, everyone meet at London's cabin in 30 minutes. If you haven't finished everything by then, forget it and leave it..."

Everyone nods and begins to make their way to their cabins. Cody turns his attention back to Bailey, and finds her staring out the window with a far away look in her eyes. Cody walks over and places his hand on her shoulder.

"Bails...I need you to come with me, okay?"

Bailey can only turn to Cody and nod. She lets him lead her back to their cabin. Once inside, Cody begins to change when he notices Bailey hasn't moved a muscle.

Cody is really worried now. "Bailey? Are you okay?"

Bailey just looks at Cody not knowing what to say. She wants desperately to tell him, but she can't make herself say the words. Finally, she can only shake her head as tears begin to fall from her eyes. Cody immediately stops what he is doing and goes to Bailey and pulls her into his arms.

Very soothingly, he begins to rub her back. "What's wrong, Sweetie?"

Bailey just lets the tears flow, but finds strength in his arms. She blurts out. "Cody, its happening again!"

Cody pulls back and looks at her in confusion. "What's happening again?"

"The hurricane!"

Cody is even more confused and pauses. "Have you been in one before?"

Bailey swallows and shakes her head. "No...When I was about five or six...A tornado came through Kettlecorn..." She shivers. "Cody, it destroyed everything!...We were lucky that we had a storm cellar that we could ride it out in, but it scared me...I haven't liked storms since, but I reasoned to myself that nothing could be as bad as that. But now...I...I..."

Cody feels his heart breaking imagining a young Bailey having to go through that and pulls Bailey back into his arms again and holds her tightly. "Its okay...I promise you that we are going to be fine. I'm here with you now...I'm going to be with you through this whole thing, and I promise I won't let anything happen to you..."

Bailey could feel Cody's arms around her again. She tried to gather as much strength and courage from him as possible. Finally, Cody could feel Bailey sighing and nodding into his shoulder. "Okay, right now, we need to change clothes. Can you do that for me?"

Bailey nods, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Cody smiles at her. "Good...That's my girl..."

Cody and Bailey quickly change out of their costumes and into something a little more comfortable. Once done, Cody begins to look around and finds a piece of plywood in the back of his closet left over from a science fair experiment. He turns to Bailey.

"I'm going to board up the porthole. While I do that, can you pack up a bag for us with a change of clothes and something for us to sleep in tonight?"

Bailey nods and begins to move back and forth between their dressers. Cody pulls out his small tool box, and begin to nail the plywood over the porthole securely. When finished with that, he liberally lines the plywood with duct tape to make sure that no potential water gets in the cabin. Cody finishes and secures the toolbox back in his closet. He turns to Bailey to see if she is finished. When he does, he finds her just looking at him.

He walks back over and takes her hand again. "Ready to go?"

Bailey nods and grabs the bag she packed. Before they head out of the cabin, she stops him. "Cody?"

Cody turns around. "Yeah?"

Bailey finally smiles. "Thank you..."

"For what?"

"For taking care of me when I was freaking out...For keeping your cool...For promising to take care of me...I'm scared to death right now..."

Cody smiles. "Anything for you...And its okay to be scared. I would be worried if you weren't. I'm scared to death too..."

"You could have fooled me..."

"Bails, the more I keep myself busy and focused, the less time I have to think about it..." Cody smiles. "I think if I let myself think about it, I'd be sitting over there in the corner sucking my thumb..."

Bailey can't help but smile. Even though she is terrified, she feels relief knowing that she is with Cody. "I'm really glad that if I have to go through this again, I have you here with me..."

Cody smiles. "Me too...And I promise you, we're going to be fine...Just think, this is a story we're going to look back on and laugh about some day"

Bailey tries to put on a brave face. "I hope so..."

Cody pauses and slowly rubs her shoulders. "I guess that kind of explains why you don't like the Wizard of Oz, huh?"

Bailey can't help but laugh. "Yeah...I was too close to being a real life Dorothy..."

Cody nods. "Its okay...Let's just hope after this, we don't end up living The Poseidon Adventure..."

Bailey shakes here head. "Cody! Not helping..."

Cody grimaces. "Sorry...Come on, lets get out of here and on to London's where we should be safe..."

As Cody and Bailey make sure they have everything before they go, they feel the boat lurch, knocking them both down. As they are both try to regain their bearings, all of the power in the cabin goes out, leaving them in pitch black.

_To be Continued..._


	25. Batting Down the Hatches

_Chapter 25_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Cody and Bailey found themselves both in pitch black darkness. Bailey felt her fears returning and she quickly called out for Cody.

"I'm right here, Bails...Are you okay?"

She replied meekly. "Yeah...I think so..."

"Okay, keep talking...Count for me and I'll follow your voice and and find you."

Bailey nods to herself. "One...two...three...four..." Just then Bailey feels a hand on her. "Cody?"

Cody laughs. "I sincerely hope that's you I just grabbed..."

Bailey can't help but to laugh. "Yeah, it is..."

Cody wraps his arm around her. "Okay, I know we have flashlights here in the room...I just can't remember where we put them..."

Bailey pauses to think. "Aren't they in the emergency kit we put together?"

Cody smacks his head. "The emergency kit...Why didn't I remember that?"

Bailey chuckles. "Its okay...now, what did we do with it?"

"Its in the bottom of my closet...Take my hand and we'll make our way over to it..."

Cody and Bailey begin to inch their way over to the closet in the darkness on their hands and kees. Cody is using his free hand to feel out around him. Finally, he finds the wall and slowly moves down it until he gets to the closet door. He reaches around till he finds the knob and slowly opens it. Cody reaches out along the floor of his closet trying to find the kit. His hands run over shoes and empty luggage bags. Finally, his hand finds a cold metal box. He probes it until he finds the latch on the box and opens it. Rummaging inside, he finds a flashlight. He flips the switch and turns the flashlight towards Bailey.

"Hi..."

Bailey flinches and tries to shield her eyes. "What else did we put in there?"

Cody turns back to the box and looks inside. "Several bottles of water, beef jerky, canned meat, canned fruits, other non-perishables, a can opener, extra batteries, another flashlight and several glow sticks..." Cody pulls out the other flashlight and hands it to Bailey. Cody proceeds to close the metal box to pick it up and take it with them. He stands up and empties out a small luggage bag onto the bed and puts the box inside of it. He slings it over his back. He turns to Bailey.

"Ready?"

Bailey nods, but Cody can tell she is still freaked out and scared. So he decided to do something to distract her and try to get her mind off of the hurricane if only temporarily. On purpose, he turns and walks straight into the wall and "falls" to the floor. Bailey shines her flashlight down on him.

"Cody, are you okay?"

Cody laughs. "Yeah...What were the odds of that? No flashlight, I didn't bump into a single thing...Two flashlights, and I run right into the wall..."

Bailey can't help but laugh. She immediately knew he did that on purpose but was grateful to him for trying to make her feel better. While she was still scared, she reminded herself that her and Cody had already survived other sticky situations. But, she knew no matter what happened, she would deal with it as long as he was by her side. Finally, she spoke. "Come on, we should get going or we're going to be late and everyone will get worried."

Cody nods and gets up. He takes Bailey's hand again, and they make their way out of the cabin, both with a bag slung over their shoulder.. Cody pauses in the hallway and knocks on Zack and Woody's door, but gets no answer. Cody turns and glances out the door onto the deck. By now, it is a literal downpour outside with water crashing over the deck. Quickly, he turns Bailey's away from the sight so she doesn't have to see it. They move towards the interior of the boat and towards the stairwell there. Slowly, they make their way up to London's floor and slowly begin to search for her suite in the dark.. Finally finding it, they knock on the door and Zack answers it.

"About time...We were about to send out a search party for you two..."

Cody shrugged. "We stopped to find our flashlights and survival pack...We figured they might come in handy..."

Zack nods and opens the foor for them to come in. London is sitting against the head of her bed, filing her nails in the dark. Woody and Addison are leaning against one wall while Zack has rejoined Cassie along another. Cody leads Bailey over the the only open wall, and helps her get settled in. He then proceeds to get out a few of the glow sticks, activates them and places them in the middle of the room. After making a pseudo campfire, Cody crawls over and places one in front of the bathroom so people can find it in the dark.. As he is doing that, there is another knock at the door. Zack opens it again and finds Moseby and Tut standing there with a flashlight. They both sigh with relief seeing that everyone is together and advises them to stay together until the storm passes. Moseby said he would be back later to check on them, but that they had to go try to account for the rest of the passengers while Emma would go to check on the rest of the students.

Everyone was settled into London's cabin, but it was pretty quiet inside. The boat was rocking, and even inside, they could hear the wind howling. Cody pulled out his cell phone to check the time. 11:00 PM. He sighed and asked London if she had enough blankets and pillows for everyone. London paused and said she didn't, but that there was a housekeeping closet just down the hall. Cody nodded and grabbed the flashlight. He turned to Zack and told him they were going for a pillow and blanket run. He turned back to Bailey and told her he would be right back. Bailey just looked up and nodded. She wanted to argue and plead with him to stay with her, but she knew he was doing what was needed.

Zack and Cody left the cabin and slowly crept down the hallway until they found the housekeeping closet London had mentioned. The opened the door and went inside. As Cody was flashing the light around to see what he could find, Zack spoke up.

"Is Bailey okay? She hasn't said a word since she's got to London's..."

Cody turned to his brother. "She doesn't like storms as it is, so a hurricane is a nightmare to her."

Zack nodded. "You really think we're going to be okay?"

Cody paused. "I don't know. But I'm sure not going to admit that around Bailey...I'm trying to keep her as calm as possible and her spirits as high as I can..."

Zack smiled. "I'm sure you will...I know you would do anything for her..."

Cody smiled. "Thanks...Now, lets grab what we can, and get out of here..."

Zack and Cody proceed to grab six extra pillows and a few extra blankets and left the closet. Again, they slowly made their way back to London's cabin. As they are creeping along, they feel the boat shudder again, causing them to be knocked to the floor of the hallway.

Zack gets back up, but he is in darkness again. "Cody?"

From behind him, he hears, "Down here...I think I landed on the flashlight..."

Zack turns around, and kneels down to the floor. He reaches out until he finds Cody's leg. "Are you okay?"

Cody begins to pull himself up. "Yeah, but I think the flashlight is kaput..."

Zack sighs. "So, what do we do now?"

Cody pauses. He honestly had no clue, but he knew he needed to get back to Bailey as soon as possible. "I don't know...I'm not even sure which direction we are supposed to go in now..." Cody feels the flashlight next to him, and in frustration, smacks it against his other palm. "Stupid flashlight..." However, doing that must have done something because the flashlight flooded the hallway with light again.

Zack laughed. "Atta boy..."

Cody just shook his head. "Let's not press our luck and get back to the cabin now..."

Zack nodded and gathered back up the blankets he was carrying as Cody grabbed the pillows. Quickly, the moved down the hallway until they found London's cabin. They knock, and this time Cassie opens the door. Both come in and quickly distribute the pillows and blankets and everyone settles in. London is stretched out on her bed, while everyone else is scattered around the room. Again everyone is quiet, until Zack finally speaks up.

"Does anyone else see the similarities?"

Woody answers him. "To what?"

"You know..." Zack clears his throat. "_The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed. If not for the courage of the fearless crew, the Minnow would be lost. The Minnow would be lost..."_

Everyone else just groaned at Zack.

"Awww come on...Look, there are seven of us, seven of them...London always wears the latest fashions, she could be our Ginger. Woody could be the Skipper and Addison his little buddy. Cassie and I could be Mr. and Mrs. Howell. And of course, Cody and Bailey are easily our Professor and Mary Ann..."

Cody looks over at his brother. "So, in the middle of a hurricane, your first thought is of Gilligan's Island? Wasn't being deserted on a deserted island once enough for you?"

Zack shrugs. "I just figured it might help if we tried to get our minds off what was happening outside..."

Cassie turns to him and rolls her eyes. "By singing about a ship the crashes on to a deserted island during a storm?"

While, everyone else was talking, Bailey wasn't really paying attention. She had her head on Cody's shoulder and her arms wrapped around him as tightly as she could. All her ears would let her hear were the wind and the rain and the sound of waves crashing against the boat. In her mind, she was reliving the tornado all over again. Being in this cabin was eerily similar to her whole family being locked in their storm shelter while she heard the wind roaring.

Cody could tell Bailey was deep into her thoughts, but all he could think to do was just to keep holding her to let her know that he was there. He turned to everyone else.

"Its about 11:30...Why don't we all try to at least get some sleep..."

That snapped Bailey out of her thoughts. She looked up at Cody. "Is that a good idea? I mean, what if..."

Cody nodded. "You're right. I think we should have two people stay up in shifts. I figure by 8:30 in the morning, we will have gotten through the worst of it. That's nine hours or three shifts of three hours..." Cody looked down and knew Bailey was too wired or too upset to sleep right now. "Bailey and I will take the first shift, and I'll set the alarm on my cell phone to go off at 2:30. Who wants the 2:30 to 5:30 shift?"

Addison speaks up. "Woody and I will take it..."

Cody nods. "Okay, Zack and Cassie, you two have 5:30 to 8:30 then..."

They both nod. London speaks up. "What about me?"

"You're already letting us use your room to ride the storm out in...Alright, I know it might be hard, but we're all going to need our energy tomorrow, so try to sleep..."

Everyone else stretched out and laid down. The room got quiet again, until Cody heard two sounds that he would never ever forget. Woody and Zack were both snoring now. Even though he was still scared, he felt himself oddly comforted by those two sounds. He then turned his attention to trying to make Bailey feel as comforted as he could. Cody just reached down and wrapped his arm tighter around Bailey and leaned down and kissed her forehead. He laid his head back against the wall and tried to settle into what might be the longest night of his life.

_To be Continued..._


	26. A Break in the Clouds

_Chapter 26_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

As Cody sat there, he just listened to the weather outside. He kept waiting for any sign that it was dying down, but it never came. He sighed. Surely, it had to have been close to the end of his shift he thought. His one hand was still wrapped tightly around Bailey, so he used his free hand to reach into his pocket for his cell phone. 12:30. Cody could only shake his head. It had only been an hour. He turned to look down to check on Bailey again. He could see she was still just staring out into space, but her grip on him hadn't lessened at all. Cody leaned closer and whispered.

"How are you holding up?"

Bailey, who had been lost in her thoughts, looked up when she heard Cody's voice. "I just want this to end..."

Cody leaned down and placed another kiss on her forehead. "It will soon...I promise."

Bailey could only nod.

"Bails, you're doing great, you know that?"

Bailey had a sad laugh. "I don't know about all of that...I feel like freaking out and running off screaming..."

"But you haven't...You're facing this head on...I'm extremely proud of you"

Bailey pauses. "Cody, the only reason I've haven't gone anywhere is because I'm too afraid to let go of you..."

Cody take her hand in his and slowly rubs it. "Keep holding on then, I'm not going anywhere..."

Bailey just lets out a sigh.

Seeing Bailey like this was painful for Cody. While he understood her fear, he wanted his strong and confident Bailey back. He knew he had to do something. So, after thinking, Cody decided to try to distract her if he could. Again, he leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Think of what we'll be doing one year from today..."

Bailey still stared out into space, but did respond. "A year from now?"

"You know, walking around campus, going to our classes, watching the leaves on the trees changing colors...enjoying a beautiful fall in New England..."

Bailey actually let herself try to picture that. "That sounds nice..." Bailey paused. She still couldn't get the thoughts of the storm out of her mind completely. "They don't have hurricanes there, do they?"

Cody paused, but knew he had to be honest with her. "They do, but they are very rare. And our place is pretty far inland...We shouldn't have to worry about them there...When we lived in Boston, we felt some remnants of a few, but all it was was mostly just rain..."

"Were those scary?"

Cody sat back and thought. "Not really...the only weather I really worried about were Nor'easters..."

Bailey looked up at Cody. "What are those?"

Cody smiles. "Those are storms that would drop about two feet of snow on us..."

She paused and nodded. "I don't mind snow...I used to love it when it would snow on the farm..."

"You know, I can't wait to go through our first blizzard together..."

Bailey actually smiled. "Yeah? Why?"

Cody mocked rubbing his chin. "Well, being trapped inside all alone with you wouldn't bother me in the least. We could cuddle together in front of a fire, sip on hot chocolate...or find other ways to keep each other warm..."

Bailey giggles before covering her mouth so she doesn't wake anyone. "Sorry..."

Cody smiles. "Its okay...New England winters can be a lot of fun. You know, when we aren't snowed in, we could go outside and build a snowman or make snow angels or join a snowball fight...or even find a pond to ice skate on..."

Bailey looks back up to Cody. "I've never ice skated before..."

"Then, I'll teach you...you know, when I was younger, I thought I wanted to be a hockey player for a while..."

Bailey has to hold in another laugh.

Cody grins. "I know...talk about delusions of grandeur, huh?"

Bailey looks at Cody again. "No, not at all. Especially with those new muscles you have, but I'm glad you decided against it. I like your smile just the way it is, and I wouldn't want to see you get any teeth knocked out..."

Cody flashed Bailey a toothy smile. "Thanks. But, playing hockey surprisingly does come in handy during blizzards..."

Bailey couldn't wait to hear his rationale. "Yeah, how so?"

Cody smiles. "That's another thing I'm going to have to teach you...full contact grocery shopping..."

Bailey looks at Cody with bewilderment. "What?"

"When a blizzard is forecast, people tend to freak out and descend on supermarkets. Bread, milk and eggs are the first to go. We used to have a system where Zack would immediately go for bread, me for milk and Mom for eggs. That way, we had the best odds of getting all three..."

"But how is that full contact?"

Cody grins. "When it comes down to the last gallon of milk, you may have to get a little physical to get it..."

Bailey shakes her head."You didn't..."

Cody chuckles. "Hey, that old lady had a cane and wasn't afraid to use it...I did what I had to do..."

Bailey can only laugh too.

"We'll just have to remember our pads before we hit the store..."

Bailey pauses. It just dawned on her that while Cody had been talking, she hadn't thought of the hurricane once. He had done it again. "Cody..."

"Yeah, Sweetie..."

"Thank you again..."

"For what?"

"I know you're just trying to get my mind off of what's happening outside..."

Cody sighs. He was busted. "How did I do?"

Bailey smiles. "I give you an A+ for effort...And the fact that I know you're trying to make me feel better does make me feel better..."

Cody smiles. "Good...And before you know it, the storm is going to be over and we can go on with our lives..."

Bailey snuggles even closer. "I can't wait for that..."

Cody pauses. "Who knows...Maybe we'll even get t-shirts printed that say 'I survived Hurricane...what ever its name is...and all I got was this lousy t-shirt'..."

Bailey laughs into Cody's chest. "I can see them now..."

Cody pulls out his cellphone again. "1:30...We only have an hour to go..."

"Would you just hold me till then..."

"Bails, I'll hold you whenever you want for as long as you want..."

Bailey snuggles into Cody's arm again and closes her eyes. She felt herself begin to relax. She felt so safe in his arms. "Cody?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me more about New Haven next year..."

Cody smiles. He thought he could hear his old Bailey coming back. "Alright..." And with that, Cody spends the next hour just whispering in Bailey's ear telling her of all the things they are going to do next year. "And right before Thanksgiving, we'll go to the Harvard-Yale football game and help root against those elitist snobs from Cambridge..."

Bailey laughs. "Sounds like fun...everything sounds like so much fun..."

Cody leans down and kisses Bailey's forehead again. "It will be...because we'll be together..."

"I know..." Bailey pauses. "Cody?"

"Yeah, Sweetie?"

"How is it that you know what exactly to do to always make me feel better?"

Cody paused. "I don't know...I guess its just a gift. Besides, I'd do what ever it takes to see that beautiful smile on your face..."

Bailey looks up and smiles at Cody. "Just keep doing what your doing..."

Cody had just pulled Bailey even closer when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out. "2:30...Think you'll be able to get some sleep now?"

Bailey paused. "I think so...As long as you will be there right beside me..."

Cody smiles. "As you wish...Be right back" Cody slowly crawled across the room, and using a glow stick, finds Woody. He gently shakes him awake. Woody opens his eyes slowly and grumbles. "What?"

"Its 2:30...You and Addison are on..."

Woody yawns and nods. He turns and gently shakes Addison awake. Cody crawls back over to Bailey who has laid out their pillows and spread out their blanket. Cody crawls under the blanket with her and Bailey immediately cuddles up next to him. She turns to him and whispers.

"Cody?"

Cody turns and smiles. "I'm beginning to think you enjoy saying my name..."

Bailey realizes she has been saying his name over and over and giggles. "Guilty..." She reaches down to take Cody's hand in hers. "I can't wait to experience everything you told me about next year..."

"Me either..." He leans down and kisses her. "Goodnight, sweetheart..."

Bailey smiles. "Goodnight..." She leans down and kisses him this time. "I love you..."

Cody smiles. "I love you too..."

And with that, Cody and Bailey lie back and try to catch some sleep. Cody closes his eyes and soon, sleep overtakes him. Bailey just watches him sleep for a while. The storm is still raging outside, but now, the sound she was focusing on was the slight snoring coming from Cody. She couldn't help but smile. She had grown so use to that sound, and in light of what was going on outside, she found it very comforting. She knew then she was going to be okay. This storm wasn't going to get the best of her. As long as Cody was right there next to her, everything would always be right in her world. She laid her head down on his chest and closed her eyes. When Cody's arms instinctively wrapped around her again, she let out a sigh of contentment and allowed sleep to overtake her as well.

_To be Continued..._


	27. Dawn of a New Day

_Chapter 27_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Zack and Cassie were sitting back against the wall, just watching and waiting while listening to a chorus of snoring coming from all over the room. Since there were no windows in London's suite, they still couldn't tell for sure what was happening outside. But, they did take some solace in the fact that they hadn't felt the boat lunge in some time and they could no longer hear the wind howling. This time, it was Zack who pulled out his cell phone. 8:00 AM. Morning was officially here. He turned to Cassie and whispered.

"Happy Halloween..."

Cassie chuckled. "You know, I know Halloween is supposed to be a day of frightening things, but this wasn't what I had in mind..."

"Tell me about it...I think I would have rather dealt with a mummy or even Princess Zaria then a hurricane..."

Cassie paused. "What do you think its like out there right now?"

Zack stopped to think. "Only one way to find out..." Zack begins to stand up when Cassie grabs his arm.

"Where do you think you are going?"

"I'm tired of being cooped up in here. I want to see for myself what its like out there..."

Cassie sighed. "I can't let you go out there by yourself..."

Zack smiles. "Come on, then...We'll just take a quick peek and come back..."

Cassie takes a minute to think. "Alright, but if I say we turn back, we do...okay?"

Zack was about to argue, but decided against it. "Okay..." He looks down and grabs the one reliable flashlight.

Standing up, the both make their way towards the door of the cabin. They stick one of the glow sticks in the door so it can't close and lock behind them. Zack grabs Cassie's hand and they slowly make their way towards the deck. As they approach it, they see something that made them both smile...the sun. Continuing on, they walk out onto the deck and look around. Even the deck this high is covered with seaweed and other evidence of the great storm. But, it is no longer raining and the wind is calm. They quietly walk along the deck to see if they can find out anything more. As the slowly creep along, they are interrupted by a voice.

"Where do you two think you are going?"

Zack and Cassie turn around and see a very disheveled Mr. Moseby.

"We're just seeing what we could find out, Moseby..."

Moseby is about to scold them, but stops. He simply didn't have the energy. "And how is everyone else in London's cabin?"

"Asleep, but all safe and sound."

Moseby visibly exhales. "Good..."

Cassie finally asks. "Is it over now?"

Moseby shrugs. "I don't know. I'm still waiting on the captain to let me know for sure. All I know is that I've been up all night trying to coordinate efforts to regain power and troubleshoot for any problems..."

Cassie pauses and asks the question that's been on her mind. "The ship's okay, isn't it?"

Moseby sighs. "Other than the fact that we are still afloat, I don't know too much yet..."

Zack shrugs. "Could be worse, I guess..."

"Very true...After this, the blizzards at the Tipton were nothing..."

Zack smiles. "What are you talking about, those were a blast!"

"For you, maybe..." Moseby's phone begins to ring. Before answering, he turns to Zack and Cassie. "You two head back to London's cabin and tell everyone to stay there. I'll come find you all once I know more..." And with that, Moseby turns to answer his phone.

Zack and Cassie shrug, make their way back to London's cabin and go back inside. They sit back down, and begin to get comfortable again when they are surprised by Cody's voice.

"Where did you two go?"

"To survey the damage..."

Cody nods. "How bad is it?"

"We don't know yet...We ran into Moseby, he said he would stop by later when he knew something..."

Cody nods again. "And the weather?"

"Sunny and calm...Moseby did say to stay here inside though..."

Cody breathes a sigh of relief. He looks down and sees Bailey still sleeping. He leans down and kisses her forehead and whispers to her that they made it through. Cody leans back again and closes his eyes as there wasn't much else he could do in the dark with others still sleeping. Zack and Cassie were pretty much doing the same thing.

Not long afterwards, the three that were awake heard a strange noise that made them open their eyes and focus. "What was that?"

"No clue..."

Cody looked around until he noticed something. London's clock was now flashing "12:00". Cody turned to Zack and Cassie.

"Power's back on..."

Zack got up and looked out in the hallway and sure enough, the hallway lights were back on as well. He returned and sat back down. "So, what do we do now?"

Cody shrugged. "I don't know...if you two want to go back to sleep, I can stay up..."

Zack shook his head. "Nah...I'm too wired to sleep right now..."

Cassie nodded. "Me too..."

The three are surprised to hear another voice. "Me three..."

Cody looks down and sees Bailey looking right back up at him. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Bailey yawns. "No...Did I hear right that the power is back on?"

"Yeah...We've at least got that going for us now..."

Bailey pauses. "Maybe we can use London's satellite TV to see what we can find out what happened?"

Cody slowly rubs Bailey's arm. "Good idea, Sweetie..."

The four get up and circle around the TV and Zack turns it on. To himself, he mumbles. "You know, I really need to get me a flat screen like this in my room..."

They turn down the volume and begin flipping through the channels. After several minutes, they get to the international weather channel. Finally, they learned the name of their tormentor...Hurricane Igor _(I didn't make this up, this is on the list for 2010 hurricanes in the Atlantic)_.

Cody sighs. "Hurrican Igor...hitting on Halloween...how ironic..."

They sit back at watch and get to see first hand footage of what they had just lived through. Eventually, Woody, Addison, and London all woke up and joined them in watching the tragedy unfolding on the TV. As everyone was up, they turned on the lights in the cabin so they could see now. After watching for about an hour, no new information was being shown and everything was just a repeat of what they had already heard. It was at that point, that everyone heard Woody's stomach growling.

"Sorry..."

Cody reaches down for his bag. "Its okay, we should all be eating something anyways to keep our strength up...We brought our emergency kit, and it has plenty of food in it. We should ration though just in case..." And with that, Cody rations out some food and water to everyone. He grabs two bottles of water and a can of fruit and sits down next to Bailey.

Cody hands her one of the bottles of water. "How are you doing this morning?"

Bailey looks over at him. "Much Better. I'm just glad its over..." She pauses. "I'm sorry for freaking out on you last night..."

Cody smiles. "You have nothing to be sorry about. All of us have things that scare us. And after what you told me, I completely understand...I'm really proud of you for facing up to your fears..."

Bailey smiles. "Thank you...I thought I had grown up and put that behind me..."

"Its natural. Things that scare us as kids have a way of staying with us. All of us have our quirks..." Cody grins. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm obsessive compulsive and you still put up with me..."

Bailey smiles. "Maybe, but then again, I wouldn't want you to be any other way..."

Cody laughs. "You know, I'm going to remember you saying that..."

Bailey laughs. "I know you will..." She pauses. "You think our cabin is okay?"

"I hope so...I missed our bed last night..." Cody tries to pop his back. "That's why I woke up early, it felt like my back was in a thousand pieces..."

Bailey rubs Cody's back. "My poor baby...My turn to take care of you now..."

Everyone was interrupted by a knock at the cabin door. Woody got up to answer it, and Mr. Moseby came in.

London looks up. "So, what's going on?"

Moseby pulls up a chair and sits. He looks physically exhausted and is having trouble keeping his eyes open. Finally he begins. "There is no worry about us sinking, the ship is as stable as ever..."

Everyone lets out a sigh of relief. But Moseby puts up his hand. "But, the news isn't all good. Our engines got flooded and our rudder damaged. For now, the ship is going nowhere and we are stuck floating in the middle of the South Atlantic..."

_To be Continued..._


	28. Putting the Pieces Back Together

_Chapter 28_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

London was the first to speak up. "What do you mean we're stuck in the middle of the South Atlantic? Let me call Daddy. He'll fix this right now!"

Moseby sighs. "I've already spoken to your father, London. In fact, I'm going to be following his direct instructions..."

Cassie looks up. "And what are those exactly?"

"The newest cruise ship in the fleet, the S.S. Wanda..."

London looks up exasperated and interrupts him. "He's already named a ship after his newest gold digging wife?"

Moseby sighs. "Anyways, the S.S. Wanda is on its way right now to pick up the passengers from this ship to let them continue on with their cruise..."

"So, are we supposed to go pack up our things?"

Moseby shakes his head. "Unfortunately, no...This ship is the only one equipped to adequately carry on with the day to day operations of Seven Seas High...All students will be staying on here with a skeleton crew necessary to see to their needs..."

Zack interrupts. "So, what you're saying is we're stuck here...floating aimlessly in the ocean..."

Moseby pauses. "Essentially...yes. Mr. Tipton is having a fleet of tugboats sent out to bring the ship back to port. School will carry on as if nothing has happened..."

Cody finally speaks up. "What aren't you telling us though?"

Moseby rubs his eyes. "That obvious, huh? Well, it will be at least a week before the tugs get here. And after that, it will take a while for them to tow us into the nearest port large enough to fix the ship..."

"And what port is that?"

"Capetown, South Africa..."

Cody begin to think. Something wasn't adding up. "Moseby, correct me if I'm wrong, but it will take us quite a while to get there being towed..."

Moseby nods. "Correct...If all goes as planned, we will be entering Capetown harbor the first week of December..."

Zack interrupts again. "December? What about Thanksgiving?"

Moseby sighs. "Everyone will still have that Thursday and Friday off..."

"But what about the three days before that...You know, our supposed 'fall break'..."

"Well, with the damage to the classrooms, school is being canceled this next week. To make up for the lost time, fall break has been canceled..."

Cody looks to Moseby. "But how are we supposed to get home for the break then? If we have to be in class till Wednesday afternoon, there is no way possible to get home in time for Thanksgiving with our familes..."

"Look, I wish there were some other way, but there isn't...I know it won't make up for it, but Mr. Tipton does feel bad about this. He is going to make it up to everyone by paying for their expenses getting home for Christmas break and back to Capetown to begin the spring semester. And I've been assured that the boat will be in full working order by then..."

Everyone just sits there taking in everything Moseby has just told them. He continues on. "I know this isn't what everyone wanted to hear, and I'm sorry. But, I ask you all to bare with us and we'll try to make the best out of everything. Right now, I need everyone to return to their cabins and make a checklist of any and all damage to them. London, I need you to do the same with One of a Kind..."

London pauses and looks to Moseby. "If there are no passengers, what's the point of me having my store open? I won't be doing any business..."

Moseby nods. "I know, but you're father said he would take care of it..."

"What about Bailey? If the store isn't open, she won't be able to work..."

"Your father said he would make sure she was taken care of..." Moseby pauses. "Zack, he said the same thing about you as well...The skydeck took a lot of damage. We're still not sure what's going to happen with it..."

Again, everyone looked around at each other in complete shock. Millions of questions ran through their minds, but no one could gather their voice to ask them.

"Alright, everyone head on to their cabins, and make sure to call your families and let them know you are alright and what is going on...I have to get going and pass on all of this to everyone else..."

Cody stopped him. "Mr. Moseby, you look exhausted. You need to get some sleep..."

Moseby smiled. "Trust me, I know...And I will once I get done everything I have to do..." And with that, Moseby was off.

Everyone quietly gathered up their things and began to get ready to head back to their cabins. Bailey told London to give her about an hour, and she would join her in checking out the store. London nodded and laid back on her bed to sulk. With that, everyone filed out of her cabin and made their way back to their own. Cody told Zack to call their dad so he and Cassie could tell him and Sarah at the same time, and he would call their mom.

Cody and Bailey walk back into their cabin, and for some reason, it feels surreal to be back there again. Bailey immediately checks the bathroom to make sure everything is okay in there while Cody goes to check the plywood on the porthole. He notices the center of it is wet, but no water had seeped into the room. He walks out of the cabin and around to the deck outside the porthole. It is there that he notices that the glass porthole window is completely gone. Shaking his head, he returns to the cabin to get a trash bag and duct tape. Once back outside, he covers the porthole from the outside by taping the trash bag over it. Back inside, he does the same thing on the inside. By then, Bailey has finished inspecting the rest of the cabin.

"Anything?"

Bailey shakes her head. "Everything seems fine as far as I can tell...How bad was the damage to the porthole?"

Cody sighs. "Its gone...all there is left is a big hole into our room. I've taped bags over both ends, but we will definitely have to have a new one..."

Bailey walks over and takes Cody's hand. "It could be worse...much worse..."

Cody nods. "I know...Everyone is safe and sound, and that's the important thing..."

Bailey smiles. "Thanks to you..."

Cody looks confused. "Me?"

"I may have been freaking out, but I saw you take charge of the situation. You stepped up, and thanks to you everyone is okay right now...I'm extremely proud of you..."

Cody shrugs. "I...I was just trying to...I don't know...do something..."

"Well, you did...You took control of the situation and kept me from freaking out..."

Cody smiled. "You would have done the same for me if the situation was reversed..."

Bailey smiled. "I would have done my best..."

Just then, Bailey's cell phone began to ring. She looked at it. "My mom..."

"Go ahead, I need to call mine as well..."

Cody and Bailey each sat on the edge of their bed, each speaking to their respective mothers. Each mother was quite concerned and wanted to make sure that their babies were safe and sound. After much soothing and calming, both were able to pacify their mothers enough to explain to them what happened and what Mr. Moseby had just told them. Finally, both mothers were satisfied that their children were okay, and both teens promised to keep them informed about anything and everything that was happening.

Bailey turned to Cody. "My mom said to tell you thank you..."

Cody smiled. "Mine said I better have taken good care of you after you saved my life..."

Bailey grins. "Do I need to call her back and tell her how wonderful you were?"

"I don't think so, but she said she had a surprise for us over Christmas break..."

Bailey sighed. "Christmas...we won't get to see our families till then..."

Cody wraps his arm around her. "I know, but we'll make do..."

Bailey pauses. "Cody, what are we going to do about Christmas? Both our families will want us there, but I don't want to be apart from you...

Cody pauses and thinks. "Maybe we don't have to be...if Mr. Tipton is going to pay for us to get home for Christmas, I say we take advantage of it.."

"What do you mean?"

"You said your family always does their celebration on Christmas Eve, right?"

Bailey is confused. "Yeah..."

Cody smiles. "Easy...We leave Capetown and head straight to Kettlecorn. We stay there until Christmas morning, and we catch the red eye to Boston and get there in time for dinner on Christmas Day...That way, both families are happy..."

Bailey smiles. "That sounds brilliant...and then we can spend New Year's Eve together too..."

Cody grins. "My thoughts exactly..."

"Perfect..." Bailey sighs. "I guess I should be getting up to One of a Kind then. I told London I'd help her survey the damage..."

"Then, I'm coming with you..."

Bailey pats Cody's leg. "I appreciate that, but you don't have to..."

"I want to. Besides, after last night, I'm not too anxious to let you out of my sight..."

Bailey smiles. "Okay...we might need all the help we can get..."

And with that, Cody and Bailey were off. This was going to be the first of many steps to get the S.S. Tipton put back together. No one knew exactly what the next few weeks would bring, but everyone knew their lives on board were going to be vastly different.

_To be Continued..._


	29. Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend

_Chapter 29_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

The next week on board the S.S. Tipton was a long and arduous one. Not all of the students had been as fortunate as the seven who had rode out the storm in London's cabin. They hadn't forethought to board their windows, and many of their rooms had experienced various degrees of water damage. So, many of them spent a good part of the week cleaning and drying their own rooms. The students who had escaped major damage were encouraged to help out with the clean up of other areas of the ship.

The S.S. Wanda quickly made its way towards the S.S. Tipton, and all other passengers were transported to it by the end of the week. To quicken this process, it seemed that there was a constant stream of Tipton helicopters ferrying passengers from one ship to the other. So, by the end of the week, the only people left on board were the students, teachers, crew and the skeleton staff Mr. Moseby had mentioned.

As the reason the students were still there was to keep classes going, the affected classrooms were among the first places to be addressed. All interior classrooms were fine, but those that were right of the deck were a mess. Plywood was used to board up any broken windows and then sealed with waterproof tarps. Inside, broken glass was cleaned up and all the carpets vacuumed and cleaned.

Cody and Bailey found themselves in their element as both actually enjoyed cleaning. Everyone else was not as enthused, but Emma promised anyone that helped that she would write them a glowing letter of recommendation to include in their college admissions.

Midweek, Moseby had a discussion with a structural engineer that Mr. Tipton had flown in. After examining the skydeck, he condemned it and said it would have to be totally rebuilt. Knowing that he had to try to clean up what was still up there, Moseby pulled several of the guys away from the classrooms to assist in on the skydeck. Among those selected were Zack, Cody and Woody.

To say they were shocked when the first saw it since the hurricane would be putting it mild. The three guys could only look around and try to remember what it had once looked like. None of the many tables and deck chairs that had once adorned it were anywhere to be scene. The hottub was only a shell of its former self, and the staircase was mangled badly. And the Smoothie Bar...wiped away as if it had never existed. Cody found himself walking around where the towel counter used to be, but nothing was left but a few pieces of painted timber.

The first task was to determine what was salvageable and what wasn't. Unfortunately, this didn't take long at all. The only thing they could find was one of the wooden wall menus from the smoothie bar, but it was deemed to be worthless. Zack held it aside, intending on keeping it as a souvenir.

Once that was done, all the was left to do was throw everything into a large dumpster bin that had been specifically flown in for that purpose. After several hours, everything that wasn't nailed or screwed down had been tossed in the dumpster. All the guys were worn out by the time Mr. Moseby returned to check on the progress. Seeing the once vibrant area stripped and bared left him shaking his head in sadness as well. He finally turned to the guys and dismissed them and thanked them for their help.

As they walked back, Zack turned to Cody. "Wow...Can you imagine what could have happened if the dance had been help up there..."

Cody could only shudder. "Thank God it wasn't..."

"I know...I don't even recognize the place anymore..."

"Kind of weird that a place we've spent so much time the past two and a half years is gone..."

"Yeah...all those memories there seem...I don't know..."

Cody laughed. "Like our first day here watching Moseby getting fished out the ocean..."

Zack laughed too. "Oh yeah...I don't think he was happy to see us..." Zack paused. "Remember that night Agent Smith came aboard and beat up that other dude?"

Cody shakes his head. "How could I forget..."

Zack smirks. "Well, at least we know your aversion to showers is over now..."

Cody smirks back. "What about you, you still have nightmares of lady wrestlers beating you up?"

Zack shudders. "Thanks for reminding me..."

Cody pauses and smiles. "You know, we all have some pretty good memories of that place...Things we'll always remember..."

Zack nods. "Yeah...I'm really going to miss it. It was the first place I kissed Cassie..."

"I know what you mean...I have a lot of fond memories of being with Bailey there...It was where she first called me her guy..."

Zack smiles. "Well, we still have our memories...and for some reason, those girls actually like to be around us..."

"Yeah...I guess we have done some things right after all..."

"Well, if you will excuse me, I'm going to go shower and find mine..."

Cody nods. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me either..."

Returning to their floor, Cody entered his room, and found Bailey already back. She must have just come from the shower as she had a towel wrapped around her head. He shuffled inside, his legs sore from the day's work. Hearing him come in, Bailey looked up and watched him come in. She was about to say something to him when she caught herself staring. The t-shirt he was wearing was drenched in sweat and was skin tight on him. As he came in, he walked past her and leaned down to kiss her cheek. Bailey thought she heard him say something about a shower, but she was having trouble focusing. And then he did something that almost drove her crazy...he peeled off his shirt and dropped it into the hamper. Her mind went absolutely blank as she sat there staring as his naked torso still dripping in sweat. She briefly wondered if this was the same way Cody felt when he saw her. And she would have continued to be in her daze if she hadn't felt his hand on her shoulder. She shook her head and looked up to see him smiling at her.

"Bails? Are you okay? Looked like you were a million miles away..."

Bailey paused and then flushed. "Yeah...fine..."

Cody was curious now. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah...I..." Bailey sighed. She knew she could be honest with him. "The sight of your shirt clinging to you and then you taking it off left me...stupid for a minute..."

Cody was surprised. "Really?"

Bailey rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yes, really...You know you aren't the only one who can lose all brain activity by seeing the other...in a state of undress."

Cody blushed then smiled. "Thank you...I know that exact feeling all too well..."

Bailey felt a warm feeling begin to engulf her. "Anytime..." Pulling herself together, she asked. "So, how was the skydeck?"

Cody sighed. "Non-existent..."

Bailey looks at Cody in surprise. "What?"

"It was condemned. There wasn't hardly anything worth saving..."

Bailey frowns. "I'm going to miss that place..."

"Me too...Zack and I were talking about that very thing. We all have so many memories there..."

"I know...I'll never forget the mulch festival you threw for me there..."

Cody smiles. "I remember...I wanted so much to help you with your homesickness, but in the end, I was so afraid you were going to leave me..."

Bailey smiles. "You know what I remember?"

"What?"

"I remember hugging you and it finally hitting me..."

Cody looks confused. "What hit you?"

"That I had fallen for you...I felt so safe and at home in your arms. Then it got so warm..." Bailey paused. "I know a lot has happened since then, but I still feel so safe and comfortable in your arms..." Bailey grins. "But, instead of getting warm, it gets downright steamy..."

Cody smiles. "Tell me about it...Speaking of steamy, care to join me for another shower...You know, to help us cool off..."

Bailey grins. "I'd love to, but I'm supposed to talk to my Mom on a video chat in a few minutes..."

"Too bad..."

Bailey smiles. "I will expect a rain check though..."

Cody laughs. "Like you even have to ask for one..."

And with that Cody heads into the bathroom to get cleaned up. Again, he lets the warm water soothe his aching muscles before he decides to finally clean up. He grabs his loofah and reaches for his body wash when he realized the bottle was empty. He slips out of the shower to get a new bottle from the cabinet when he hears something. For some reason, he cracks the bathroom door to listen. He overhears Bailey and her mother speaking.

"_So, how is everything going on board? Does the thought of the hurricane still bother you?"_

"No, Mom, I'm okay now. Cody kept me from freaking out about it, and I can deal with it now..."

"_Bailey, I can tell something is bothering you...Is everything going okay with you and Cody?"_

"Everything with Cody is wonderful. He's still being his loveable, adorable self..."

"_Then what is it, Honey?"_

Bailey sighs. "I guess its just getting to me that I'm going to miss Thanksgiving this year. This will be the first time I've ever not been there for it. I guess the fact that all of you will be there and I will be stuck here has finally dawned on me. I've always loved Thanksgiving, it was one of my favorite holidays..."

"_I know, but you'll be home for Christmas. We'll all see you again then..."_

"I know...I'm just going to miss seeing everyone...and the wonderful meal you and grandma prepare. With everything that's happened, I don't know if we are doing anything special here to celebrate or not..."

"_Have you told this to Cody? If I know that boy, he would do his best to make it special for you..."_

"I know he would, Mom. After the hurricane and its aftermath, it would feel kind of selfish of me to make a big deal out of this. I know I should be thankful that we made it through Hurricane Igor in one piece and I should count my blessings...Its just...I don't know...I can't explain it. I guess I'm just missing the normalcy it would bring..."

"_I understand...I know you will be just fine though. I still think you should tell Cody, but I understand your reasons why you don't..."_

And with that, Cody closes the bathroom door and slips back in the shower. Silently, he berated himself for not realizing how missing Thanksgiving would affect her. There had to be something he could do about it. And then, it hit him. If he couldn't take the girl to a Kettlecorn Thanksgiving, he'd do his best to bring a Kettlecorn Thanksgiving to her.

_To be Continued..._


	30. Turkey Day

_Chapter 30_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

It was the Monday of what was supposed to have been the student's fall break. They were still stuck in class, but now the boat was moving again. Several tug boats were in the process of dragging the liner towards Cape Town. Unfortunately, dragging a cruise ship across an ocean isn't what those boats were designed for, so it was a slow process.

By now, most of the ship was returning to life as normal. Well, as normal as it could when there was only a few hundred people on board and most of those were students. Many parts of the ship had been closed off and not re-opened until the next semester. The classrooms were once again functional, and classes had been back in session for a few weeks. Fortunately, all of the teachers knew that everything now was a special circumstance, and we're giving all of their students a little leeway.

The lives of the students themselves went on, but it was still strange to them to not be able to go to the skydeck to hang out or have their on board jobs to go to. In fact, the only one who still did do their job was Cody. As they say, the show must go on and Yay Me! did just that. And that was okay with Cody. Because it gave him the perfect avenue to continue on with his plan to give Bailey the Thanksgiving she was going to miss at home. He had persuaded London to do a holiday special about preparing a Thanksgiving meal. London was immediately game as her fans had enjoyed previous cooking segments with Cody. And with London on board, it was easy to get Mr. Moseby's cooperation. Of course, it didn't hurt matters when Cody invited Moseby and Tut to join them for the holiday feast. After that, Moseby just told Cody to tell him what he needed.

Once he had secured access to one of the kitchens, a private dining room and ingredients, Cody shifted to phase two of his plan. This was the part that was going to be tricky. With One of a Kind closed, he knew he had no set times to scheme without Bailey possibly getting suspicious. So, with that, he knew he needed to add accomplices. At lunch that day, Cody sprung his plan into action when Bailey excused herself to go to the ladies room. He quickly turned to Zack, Cassie, Woody and Addison.

"Guys, I need your help..."

Zack turned to his brother. "What's up?"

"I'm planning on cooking a Thanksgiving meal for all of us, but I want it to be a surprise for Bailey. I need your help in keeping it a secret..."

Cassie could only smile. "What do you need us to do?"

"First, I need someone to keep her busy while I call her mom to get some ideas for the menu. Then, I need some help keeping her distracted on Wednesday night and Thursday morning while I do the actual cooking..."

Zack smirked. "What's in it for us?"

Cody shrugged. "A free meal?"

"And?"

Cody sighed. "What else will it take?"

Zack grinned. "You writing my college admissions essay..."

Cassie rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and then turned back to Cody. "We'd be happy to help..." Then she grinned. "And I know Zack is more than happy to be your sous chef..."

Zack turned to his girlfriend stunned. "Wait a minute..."

Cassie batted her eyes at him. "Don't you want to help your brother?"

Zack huffed. She knew he could never turn her down when she did that. "Fine..."

Woody and Addison both chimed in that they would do anything they could help too, but Woody quickly got lost thinking about the feast Cody was going to cook.

Cody thanked everyone, but then paused. "Wednesday night shouldn't be too tough, but how do we distract her all day Thursday? If the ship was fully functional, it would be one thing, but it could be tough now..."

Cassie paused and grinned. "Leave that to me...Zack just gave me a great idea..."

So, with that, it was on. After lunch, Cassie and Addison asked Bailey to help them with their homework in one of their classes. She immediately agreed and told Cody she would see him in class later. Cody smiled and kissed her cheek goodbye. When the girls left for the cabin, Cody immediately got out his cell phone and dialed.

Maggie Pickett was surprised to receive a phone call from her daughter's boyfriend, but once he explained what he was trying to do, she immediately smiled. Of course she was willing to help and told him she would email him recipes for several of Bailey's favorites. She smiled a little wider when he specifically asked if he could get the recipe for Bailey's grandmother's mince meat pie. When they finished their phone call, Maggie could only shake her head. Cody Martin was certainly something else...and she was glad her daughter had found him.

_Wednesday Night_

Cody came back into the cabin late that night. Bailey was laying back on the bed reading a book and looked up and smiled at him when he entered.

"How is Zack's admission essay coming along?"

Cody paused. "Not bad...I think we're off to a good start...I told him I would help him finish it tomorrow..."

Bailey sighed to herself. Cody was going to be spending Thanksgiving helping his brother with his essay while she had agreed to help Cassie with hers. It wasn't how she wanted to spend her holiday, but she knew she couldn't complain. All in all, she was very thankful for her life. She knew she had great friends and a boyfriend who absolutely adored her. Her life could be a lot worse, but still, part of her was really missing being back home. Thanksgiving had always been a special time to her. She looked back at Cody.

"Do you know if the cafeteria is doing anything special for tomorrow?"

Cody shrugged. "I'm not sure...I can find out if you want me to..."

Bailey sighed and shook her head. "No, its okay..."

Cody felt bad about deceiving her, but the thought of the look on her face tomorrow was enough to keep him going. He really wanted to make tomorrow as special for her as he could. He quickly changed his clothes and turned back to her. "I think I'm ready to hit the hay..."

Bailey nodded. "Yeah, I think I am too..." And to herself, she thought. "Maybe I can just sleep through tomorrow and it will all be over..."

Cody slipped into bed next to her and pulled her in close. Bailey sighed. At least she still had her guy with her. As she snuggled closer to him, something hit her. It was a smell very familiar to her. It almost smelled like...she shook her head. That wasn't possible. Her mind must have been playing tricks on her she thought.

_Thursday _

Bailey sat in her room, watching Cassie typing away on her essay. She didn't mind helping her cousin, but she knew there were better ways to be spending their holiday. Even though she couldn't be with her family, she wished she could have spent the day with Cody. But, he was up and out of their cabin early that morning. Sure, he had woken her up with a kiss and a 'Happy Turkey Day', but she would have much rather stayed in bed with him a little while longer. She felt herself sighing again. She just wished she knew how to get over her melancholy.

Unbeknownst to Bailey, Cassie was watching her out of the corner of her eye. She glanced back at her laptop and its clock told her it was 2:30. She just needed to bluff her cousin for thirty more minutes before she could take Bailey to the private dining room Mr. Moseby was allowing them to use. Cassie turned to Bailey and asked her to read the last paragraph she had written. Bailey snapped back to the present and scanned over the paragraph and made a couple of suggestions. Finally, fifteen minutes later, Cassie couldn't take Bailey's unsubtle moping any longer.

"Why don't we take a break and go get some fresh air?"

Bailey nodded. Maybe some fresh air would help after all. The two cousins began walking and Cassie deftly guided where they were headed. Finally, they made their way outside the private dining room. Cassie turned to Bailey.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I could have sworn I heard Zack's voice coming from inside of there...I'm going to check it out."

Bailey just shrugged and followed Cassie inside. To say what she saw inside was a surprise would be an understatement. Sitting around a table were Mr. Moseby, Miss Tutweiler, Woody, Addison, London, and Zack. There was an open seat next to Zack and two open ones across the table from him. Bailey walked in and noticed the table was full of food. There were mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, two different kinds of stuffing, gravy, macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob and hot rolls. Then Bailey noticed two other dishes...a green bean casserole that looked just like one her mother made and sweet potatoes covered in marshmallows just like her grandmother made. She looked around confused only to find herself watching Cody walking in carrying a large turkey. As he brought it over to the table, he kissed her cheek and said 'Happy Turkey Day' again. Cody then turned and escorted her over to one of the open chairs as she was powerless to say or do anything.

Finally, she turned to him. "You did all of this?"

Cody smiled. "Guilty..."

"So the past day and a half..."

"Yup..."

"But...but..."

Cody grins. "I promise I will answer any questions you have, but don't you think we should eat before the food gets cold?"

Bailey pauses and then nods. "Alright...but I'm not done with you yet..."

"Of course...But before we dig in, isn't there a tradition in your family that everyone goes around and says what they are thankful for?"

Bailey just stares at Cody. "How in the world do you know that?"

Cody just winked. "I have my sources..."

Bailey just shakes her head. So many thoughts were running through her head, but she had no idea what to say. She couldn't believe he had done all of this for her. Then she rethought that. Of course she could believe he had done this. This was so something he would do for her. She found herself smiling and reminded herself to get the full story later.

Cody spoke up again. "Well, since I brought up the idea, I guess I will start. I'm thankful to have such great friends who are always willing to lend a hand. I'm thankful for all the blessings I've been granted in my life and the opportunities I've been given. And most of all, I'm thankful for the beautiful lady sitting next to me who makes me thank God everyday that I'm alive."

Across the table from him, Zack speaks up. "I guess I'm next. I guess I could copy Cody's list...Everyone knows I'm good at that. But I wanted to add that I'm also thankful for the beautiful lady next to me who has taught me so much since I've know her."

Cassie smiles at Zack then takes her turn. "I'm thankful for everyone here who took me in last year and made me feel like one of the family. I too have learned a lot from them as well..." She pauses. "And while I'm at, I'm thankful for the big lug sitting next to me. He does keeps my life interesting..."

Addison is next. "I'm thankful for much of the same as everyone else. I'm thankful for Seven Seas High for giving me a chance to live this adventure. I'm I'm thankful for the big teddy bear sitting next to me. He may not be perfect, but he's still mine."

Woody takes his turn. "I too am thankful for having such great friends. They've certainly given me memories that will last me a lifetime. And I'm thankful for the 83 pounds of pure power sitting next to me. Whoever would I have thought I guy like me would have such a great girlfriend..."

At the head of the table, Mr. Moseby is next to speak. "I'm thankful that we are all able to be here today to celebrate this feast. We've all dealt with a lot recently, but we are all stronger because of it..." Under the table he grabs Emma's hand. "And I'm thankful for all the blessings life has given me as well. I'm thankful for each and every person sitting around this table...Even Zack..."

Emma begins next. "I'm thankful for all the new adventures in my life. I never knew coming on board this ship would change my life so much. But, having students like all of you makes it worthwhile to be a teacher. I'm thankful I'm doing something I do actually enjoy and getting to spend my journey with people who matter to me..."

London shrugs. "I'm thankful for...for..." She smiled. "For me!..."

Everyone just stares at her and she sighs. "Okay, okay...I'm thankful for all of my friends too. The ones who take care of me and put up with me. And I'm thankful for Moseby who treats me like his own daughter..."

Bailey looks around and realized she is the last to go. She starts to speak several times before she finally begins what she wants to say. "I...I'm thankful for everything. From great friends to those always keeping an eye on us, I know my life is truly blessed. I too am thankful for every gift that God has bestowed upon me. I may not deserve them all, but I accept them all with humility and gratitude. Most of all, I thank God for the gift of the wonderful man sitting next to me..." She feels herself beginning to get choked up. "Just when I didn't think it was possible to love him more than I do, he does something like this and makes me fall in love with all over again. I'm thankful of the gift of his love and devotion to me, a gift I will spend the rest of my life making sure he knows I return in kind..."

The table grows silent as everyone takes in Bailey's word. Finally, Zack speaks up. "Alright, enough emotion...Moseby, slice and dice that bird!"

And with that, the meal began. Everyone began to fill their plates and savor the delicious meal that Cody had prepared. Most everyone kept going back for more and more to the point that almost every dish was wiped clean. With that, Cody got up and headed back into the kitchen. He came back out carrying a tray with a pumpkin pie, an apply pie and a mince meat pie. He placed them on the table and Bailey turned to him.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Cody smiled. "Yeah...An apple pie. I promise its not runny this time..."

Bailey playfully slapped his shoulder. "I mean...is that mince meat pie?"

"I think so..." He grins. "At least that's what your grandmother's recipe said it was..."

Bailey could do nothing but smile at him. And before long, the pies were ravished as well. Where everyone was able to put everything, no one will ever know. But, the nine sat there, all well fed. Zack slouched in his chair and yawned.

"I think that stuff in turkey that makes you sleepy is taking effect..."

Cody shakes his head. "Its tryptophan, and its a myth that there is enough in turkey to make you sleepy..."

Zack shrugs his shoulders. "Okay, well then, I'm worn out from eating..."

Woody laughs. "Too bad...due to the time difference, the first NFL game starts in 30 minutes..."

Zack grins. "Well, maybe I'm not that sleepy..."

Cassie shakes her head. "Zack, the least we can do is help clean up first..."

Bailey interrupted her. "No, everyone else has done enough already. I should be the one who cleans up..."

Cody nods. "Go ahead, I'll hang back here and help Bailey..."

Moseby turns towards to the pair. "Are you two sure?"

Bailey nods. "Yeah, we're sure..."

Everyone else begins to make their way up to the TV theater on deck to begin watching the games. As they do, Cody and Bailey begin to clear the table. Side by side, the scrub the pots, pans and dishes and place everything into the dishwasher. Once its full, they turn it on and Bailey turns to Cody and smiles.

"Alright, mister...explain."

Cody shrugs. "I overheard you talking to your Mom about how upset you were about missing Thanksgiving back in Kettlecorn. I knew I couldn't get you there for it, but I figured I could try to bring a little bit of it here to you. Your mom and grandmother were happy to supply to me some of your favorite recipes..."

"And while you were helping Zack with his 'essay'..."

"I was here preparing and cooking..."

"Sweetie, why didn't you tell me what you were doing? I would have loved to have helped you..."

Cody smiles. "Because it was a surprise...And I wouldn't have missed seeing the look on your face for anything in the world..."

Bailey smiles. "How can I ever thank you enough for this?"

Cody pauses, grins and opens his arms. "Well, you can try..."

Bailey can't help but remember Cody saying the same thing at the mulch festival and gladly steps into his arms for a hug. "I meant every word I said earlier. I don't know what I've done to deserve you, but I thank God everyday that you're mine..."

"I do the exact same thing..."

"I hope you know that I don't need grand gestures like this..."

"I know, but I once promised you that I would crawl to ends of the earth to make you happy. I aim to keep that promise."

"But Cody, you don't have to do things like this to show me that you love me. I know you do. You show me it everyday..."

"And I will keep showing you tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that and so on..."

Bailey pulls back. "You know, I can do something now that I wanted to do the last time we were like this..."

"What's that?"

"This..." Bailey leaned in and pressed her lips against his in a show of unmitigated passion.

_To be Continued..._


	31. Land Ho!

_Chapter 31_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

With Thanksgiving over, it was time to hit the final three week stretch. It would still be another week or so before the ship would find itself in Cape Town, so everyone on board had little else to do but focus on preparing for the end of the semester. To add even more pressure to the seniors, the grades from this semester would likely be the last ones that prospective colleges and universities would look at in deciding whether to accept them or not.

While everyone else was buckling down, the three students not carrying full course loads – Cody, Bailey and London – could set their own pace. London, only having two take two classes, would only have to write a final paper for English and take her American History exam. Cody and Bailey would only have two exams as they too had a final paper in English and a final group project for Environmental Sciences. Naturally, they had each other as a partner.

Being the overachievers they were, Cody and Bailey had finished their English papers and group project well in advance of finals week. Sharing a cabin was a great benefit to them as they could work whenever they wanted, and always had each other around for help. To be honest, both wanted to have these done before they reached Capetown so they could enjoy being back on solid ground as much as possible and take a break before starting finals.

Being at sea for over a month straight was the longest stretch for anyone on board. Many on board were getting restless and just wanted to do something different for a change. And it was with much celebration and fanfare that the S.S. Tipton was finally pulled into Cape Town Harbor on that early December Friday evening. Everyone was around the railings watching land finally get closer and closer.

Cody had his arm around Bailey and leaned down and whispered. "You think this is what Columbus' crew was like when they finally spotted Hispaniola?"

Bailey laughed. "Maybe...At least we don't have to worry about a mutiny anymore..."

"True...I'm so ready for solid ground that I would be okay if they said we were being docked in Antarctica right now..."

"Well, that would more than likely be ice instead of solid ground..."

Cody just smiled at Bailey. Only she would say something like that to him or would know to say it.

"Look at it this way, the World Cup is over, so we probably won't have to worry about dealing with any soccer hooligans..."

Bailey laughed. "Thank goodness...but after a month at sea, I don't think I would care right now..."

"I know...With finals looming, any kind of distraction would be nice right now."

Bailey smiled. "I agree. Plus, the fact that December is summer here is nice..."

Cody smiled. "Tell me about. How does a day just hanging out at one of the local beaches sound?"

Bailey paused to think. "A day of sun, sand and a swim...I could go for that..." She smiles. "Of course, I think you just want to see me in a bikini again..."

Cody grinned. "Says the lady who admitted that she went stupid seeing me shirtless..."

Bailey just shook her head. "I know I should have kept that to myself..."

Cody leaned down and whispered into her ear. "I'm glad you didn't...Besides, I promise you, I will never ever get tired of seeing you in a bikini. I just can't guarantee I won't stare or be able to keep my tongue in my mouth..."

Bailey could just smile. She knew Cody was always telling her things like that, but it warmed her heart to know that he actually meant them.

The next morning, everyone practically ran down the gang plank so they could finally set foot on solid ground. Most of the students made a beeline for one of the local beaches and ended up spending the whole weekend there. Before dead week and finals approached, they wanted to take it easy and live it up on the beaches of Capetown. They knew they had to enjoy it while they could because once Sunday evening came, they would have to return to full on study mode.

And that's exactly what they did. Many long nights were spent in the library as everyone prepared themselves as best they could. And everyone made it a group effort to study for the common exams they had. Eventually, finals week arrived and everyone did their best. To be fair, the finals weren't as difficult as they could be. The teachers were human too and didn't want to spend all of their time finally back on land grading tests. So much so that almost every final given was multiple choice and taken on scantron sheets.

On Friday, December 17, everyone finished up and began to pack up for their winter break. Zack and Cassie had decided to join Cody and Bailey in their idea to spend time in both Kettlecorn and Boston. After all, Kurt and Sarah were both going to be in Kettlecorn for Christmas Eve. The shuttle to the airport was scheduled to leave the boat at 6:00 PM that evening, but before they left Cape Town, the four were on a mission. Since they had been trapped on board with no open shops, no one had been able to do any Christmas shopping yet. And with the limited time they had in Cape Town, everyone knew they couldn't waste time in trying to find the perfect Christmas gifts for everyone. It was with that that they split into pairs to peruse what they could in Capetown.

Zack and Cody found found early success in shopping for gifts for their Mom, Dad, Sarah and the Picketts. However, when it came to finding the perfect gifts for their girlfriends, they were having a hard time.

Zack turned to Cody. "I have no idea what to get her..."

Cody sighed. "I know what you mean...I want to get Bailey just the right thing, but I don't know what that is..."

"Well, this is South Africa...They are known for their diamonds..."

"And if I could afford diamonds, I would..."

Zack glared at his brother. "What are you talking about? I know you have plenty of money from this summer..."

"Yeah, but that's to pay for things for the new apartment and be an emergency fund for next year..."

"Well, why don't you just get her something for her that she can use in New Haven?"

Cody turned to his brother to say something when he paused. "Zack...that's brilliant!"

Zack smirks. "Glad I could help...Now, let's get back to finding something for me to give Cassie..."

Cody nods. "Right...Well, what are you wanting to say with this gift?"

Zack raises his eyebrows. "Say with it?"

Cody smiled. "Yeah...Do you want it to be a typical gift, or do you want it have a special meaning behind it?"

Zack paused. "I don't know...I just know I want her love whatever it is..."

Cody began to laugh.

Zack looked annoyed. "What?"

"Sorry, just hearing that come from the same guy who used to give me grief for the presents I bought Bailey is funny..."

Zack frowned. "Okay, okay...I get it now...But that's not helping me find the perfect gift and our time is running out..."

Cody paused. "Zack, sometimes its not the actual gift that matters, its the meaning behind it..."

"So, what you're saying is..."

"If it comes from your heart, she'll love it no matter what it is..."

Zack just stands there nodding.

_Meanwhile_

Cassie and Bailey have been shopping as well. Like the twins, they are down to the last two people on their list – their boyfriends. Cassie is rummaging through a shop but is having no luck finding anything she likes.

She sighs. "If you have any idea of what I can get Zack, I'm all ears..."

"Trust me, I'm having the same problem with Cody..."

Cassie rolls her eyes. "Oh please. You could get him anything, and he'd love it. Didn't you say you once got him a rock?"

Bailey sighs. "I know, but after we he did for me on Thanksgiving, I want to do something special for him..."

Cassie smiled. "Then why don't you get him a gift certificate to Victoria's Secret and let him pick something out for you..."

Bailey paused and blushed. Becoming a little more daring was something she had thought about before. But while the idea certainly had possibilities and an appeal to her, it wasn't the kind of gift she wanted him to open surrounded by all of their families. "I can't do that for Christmas...What would everyone say?"

"Gee, let me think...They would say, wow, Bailey must really love her boyfriend...Besides, he's going to love no matter what you give him...just like you're going to love whatever he gets you..."

"I know...I just want to find the perfect gift for him..."

"You will...And it doesn't have to be a romantic gift either. Something practical will work just as well..."

Bailey turns to her confused. "Practical?"

"Yeah, you know, something he could really use but would never think to buy for himself..."

Bailey pauses. "Maybe you're on to something there..."

"Maybe something for New Haven next year? Something for the apartment?"

Bailey thought about that. "You're right...and I think I know just the thing. But, what I'm looking for, I won't be able to find here..."

Cassie smirks. "Well, then let's focus on what I should get Zack..."

Bailey nods. "What do you have in mind?"

Cassie sighs. "I have no idea..."

Bailey smiles. "Maybe you should listen to your own advice then. Maybe there is something he will need at college next year?"

Cassie pauses. "A clone of Cody to do his homework for him?"

Bailey laughs. "Other than that..."

Cassie thinks. "Maybe there is...And what I'm thinking I won't be able to find here either..."

Bailey smiles. "Lets head back to the ship then, I think we both need internet access..."

_Meanwhile back in Zack's Cabin_

Cody looked up from his laptop and smiled. "Done...Everything will be overnighted to the hotel."

Zack smiled too. "Same here...What did Mom say when you called her?"

"She said she would keep an eye open for them and would even wrap them for us..."

"Excellent..."

_Meanwhile back in Cassie's Cabin_

Bailey looked up from her laptop and smiled. "Done...Everything will be overnighted to the Boston Tipton."

Cassie smiled too. "Same here...What did Carey say when you called her?"

"She said she would keep an eye open for them and would even wrap them for us..."

"Excellent..."

At 5:30, everyone gathered in the lobby with all of their luggage to wait for the shuttle to the airport. Mr. Tipton was living up to his word, and he had chartered a plane for all of the students to leave Cape Town and land in Miami. From there, everyone would take their own flights to their final destinations. Christmas break had finally arrived. And soon, everyone would be enjoying their last Christmas vacation as students of Seven Seas High.

_To be Continued... _


	32. The Christmas Grinch

_Chapter 32_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Kurt and Sarah had arrived at the airport, both anxious to pick up the four teenagers they hadn't seen in almost four months. However, the sight they saw coming through the tunnel surprised them. All four looked completely disheveled and exhausted. Cody quickly explained that by the time they had gotten tired on the flight to Miami, they begin to hit turbulence. That was enough of an explanation for Kurt and Sarah. After living through a hurricane, they understood that any inclement weather could cause anyone to be jumpy. Before leaving the airport though, they suggested they all put on some sweats. While it may have been warm in Cape Town and even Miami, Kansas was already experiencing snow fall and chilly temperatures.

With that done, everyone climbed into the large SUV Kurt had rented for the week. He had been anxious to catch up with them on the drive to Kettlecorn, but no more than fifteen minutes on the road, all he could hear was snoring coming from the back. Looking in the rear view mirror, he could see Zack and Cassie in the middle row, both fast asleep with Cassie's head on Zack's shoulder. In the row behind them, Cody and Bailey were in much the same configurement except they both had their arms wrapper around each other. Kurt could do nothing but smile. Catching up could wait.

Eventually, the SUV pulled into the drive to the Pickett farm. Pulling to a stop in front of the house, Kurt and Sarah noticed everyone coming out to meet the teens. Sarah quickly explained about their flight and figured they should probably just let them continue to sleep it off. They quickly nudged everyone awake and lead them into the farmhouse and told them all to go back to bed. As if on autopilot, Bailey just nodded and grabbed Cody's hand and began to pull him on to her bedroom. Everyone just laughed and turned to find Zack and Cassie had collapsed on to the couch and both back to sleep.

The next morning, Cody found himself slowly opening his eyes. He raised up on his elbows and immediately recognized he was in Bailey's bedroom. Now, if only he could remember how he had gotten there. After the airport, everything was a little hazy to him. He looked over, and Bailey was still fast asleep. Cody paused. It was Christmas vacation. He had nowhere he had to be. So, he just wrapped his arm back around her and went back to sleep.

By noon, everyone was finally up and ready to rejoin civilization. They all joined everyone for lunch, where of course, everyone wanted the full stories on the saga of Josh and Hurricane Igor. The four filled everyone in as best they could. Maggie then turned to her daughter and asked if her Thanksgiving had turned alright in the end. Bailey could only smile and say it was one she would never forget.

The twins turned to the their Dad and asked him how married life was going. Kurt said he was enjoying it, and by the fact that Sarah was still there, he must be doing something right. Zack asked how his new album was coming along. Kurt just smiled and said he had a surprise about that later. The twins just looked at each other and shrugged.

Since the harvest was over and winter was setting in, most of the work on the farm was focused on tending to the animals. Bailey wanted to go out and see Porkers, and Cody joined her saying he had missed their soon to be other roommate as well. After seeing all the animals again, Cody and Bailey left the barn. Halfway back to the house, Bailey stopped.

"Cody, there's something I want to show you..."

Cody just nodded. "Sure..."

Bailey led him to the other side of the barn, and there was a a concrete structure with steps down to a door. Cody followed her down them and inside the structure. Using the light coming from the door, Bailey reached up and pulled the cord on a single light bulb. With that, she turned back to Cody.

"This is the storm shelter we rode out the tornado in. Today is the first time I've been back in here since we left it that day..."

Cody just watched and waited. It seemed Bailey wanted to say something.

"Since then, Dad finished a new shelter in the basement. I guess he figured it was best to have one we didn't have to go outside to get to. I just know I was terrified of this place..."

"Bailey, we don't have to stay in here..."

Bailey paused. "No, I need to. If I'm going to close the chapter on the hurricane, I need to close the chapter on the tornado as well..."

"Bails, you don't have to do this..."

"Yes, I do. Both the tornado and the hurricane gave me their best shots and I'm still standing. I need to be in the place where I once cowered in fear and let it know that I'm no longer afraid..."

Cody just nodded. "What can I do?"

"Just you being here is enough. I wanted this place to see the reason I'm not afraid anymore. I want to tell it I know I have you to stand by my side and take care of me when I need it."

"I appreciate that, but I think you give me far too much credit. You're the strong one. If you aren't afraid anymore, its because you won't let yourself be anymore..."

Bailey smiled. "Either way, I'm just releasing myself from ever letting those two experiences bother me anymore...But you know, there is something else I've been thinking about since Thanksgiving..."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"After what you did for me, I realized some things...I realized that if I had been here and you hadn't, I would have been just as miserable as I was before I found about your surprise..."

"Bails, I would have gladly came with you..."

"I know you would. And that's my point. This Thanksgiving will go down as one of my most memorable ones ever. And I forgot that I was missing my family. I was able to have a good time because I was spending it with you..."

Cody is confused where she is going with this. "I'm glad..."

"And that's when it dawned on me. Kettlecorn is still where I grew up and its still where my family is...but its not my home any longer. My home is wherever you are...Where you are is where I belong..."

Cody smiled. "I feel the exact same way..."

"Even if we had to spend Christmas still on board the ship, it might not have been ideal, but as long as you were there, I would have been okay with it..."

"Me too, but we are here, so why don't we head back inside. I believe there is a tree to decorate..."

Bailey smiled. "Yeah, there is. And later on tonight, there is the Christmas Carnival downtown..."

"Yeah, what's that like?"

"Mostly just games and contests, but there is a barn dance that follows it..."

"So, you're telling me I need to get out my dancing shoes then, huh?"

"Uh huh..."

"Hmmm...Dancing with a beautiful lady..." Cody grins. "It'll be tough, but I think I'll survive..."

Bailey and Cody finally head back inside and join everyone else who is decorating the tree. After it was done, everyone had dinner before they began to get ready for the Christmas Carnival. They filled several vehicles and made their way downtown.

The carnival was sort of like a fair, but there weren't any rides. But, there were plenty of games though. As Cody and Bailey walked along, they passed the test your strength game. Cody turned to Bailey.

"Remember the one of those they had in Sweden when we were there?"

Bailey smiled. "I remember..."

Cody smirked. "About how inept I looked at it?"

Bailey laughed. "Like it matters..."

"I still think it was rigged...I should have called shenanigans..."

From behind them, they hear. "Or maybe its because you're just a weakling..."

Cody and Bailey just look at each other and roll their eyes. They both turn around.

Cody sighs. "Seriously? Moose? Again?"

Moose smiled. "You two don't look happy to see me..."

"Moose, I don't think I've ever been happy to see you..."

Moose stares. "Too bad, Little Feller, after the last time I saw you, I've been awaitin' to see you again..."

Bailey sighs. "Moose, what do you want?"

"What? I can't say hello to a couple of old friends?"

"Moose, we aren't friends nor will we ever be friends..." Bailey turned to Cody. "Come on, let's go...Lets go see what else there is to see."

Cody shrugs and begins to walk away with Bailey when Moose steps in front of them. "Now, that wasn't very nice. I'm trying to extend an olive branch here. And you two are flat out refusing me...Now, I admit, y'all got me pretty good the last time, and I reckon I had it comin'. But, I'm trying to bury the hatchet..."

Cody sighs. "Fine, Moose...Consider it buried if you want, but we've got other places to go, so if you will excuse us..."

Moose shakes his head. "I don't think so. That's not the way things work around these parts..."

Bailey rolls her eyes again. "Whatever, Moose...Just go away..."

"Tsk, Tsk...You really are getting too big for your britches, ain't ya, Bailey? I told you hanging out with the Little Feller was nothing but bad news..."

Cody shakes his head. "Moose, why do you care? In the past year and a half, we've been in Kettlecorn twice. When we have seen you, it has been you who has come up to us. I just don't get what you hope to gain by any of this. I mean, the last two times we've seen you, you've ended up running off with your tail between your legs..."

Moose smirks. "What can I say, third times the charm..."

Bailey's had enough. "Or, as us in the Red Sox Nation say, strike three and your out...Now, are you going to get out of our way, or am I going to make you?" The Josh incident had been a final straw for Bailey. Instead of letting things fester and possibly get worse, she had decided she was just going to nip things in the bud in the beginning.

Moose turns to Cody. "You takin' to hidin' behind her skirt now?"

Cody can only laugh. "Moose, something tells me you are going to learn something I learned a long time ago...don't make Bailey mad..."

"What she's gonna..." Moose couldn't finish before he felt Bailey's knee making contact with his family jewels. He collapsed into the snow, writhing in pain.

Bailey stood over him. "Next time, I bring my hedge clippers...Now, again, if you will excuse us, we are going to get back to the carnival..." She turned to Cody and smiled. "Shall we get going, Sweetie?"

Cody smiled. "Lets..." Cody pauses. "You know, they say the Grinch's heart grew several sizes that day. Unfortunately for Moose, his...ummm...boys growing due to the swelling won't be as pleasant..."

Bailey laughed. "Maybe this time he will finally learn a lesson..."

"Hopefully...If not, is it my turn next time to punish him?"

Bailey smiled. "Sure...Now, I feel like going to dance. Let's go..."

"Anything you say, Sweetie..." Cody grins. "I do still get to lead, right?"

_To be Continued... _


	33. We Need to Talk

_Chapter 33_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

**Author's Note: Mature Themes are discussed in this chapter. And in honor of the 4****th**** of July, I figured some firework were in order.**

The next few days were spent mostly relaxing and hanging around the farm. It was mostly just a time of renewing relationships and spending time as a large family. Kurt had some last minute shopping to do, so while Zack was out with Cassie, Kurt asked Cody to accompany him. While they were out, Kurt suggested Cody that they grab a couple of burgers and drinks and go sit in the local park. Cody agreed and they made their way to the park with their food. As they were eating, Kurt turned to Cody.

"So, how long has Bailey been on birth control?"

Cody immediately spit out the drink he had just taken. "What?"

Kurt laughed. "I asked how long Bailey has been on birth control. Your mother told me she was, I'm just wondering how long..."

Cody just stared at his Dad trying to think of how to answer that. He decided to go with the truth. "Since this summer. When her doctor gave her a physical, she told her that the pills would help regulate her..."

Kurt stared at his son. "I'm sure that may be the reason in the beginning, but I'm not stupid Cody. I saw you and Bailey dancing the other night and the looks you were giving each other. Now, be honest with me...how long has it been since you two...consummated your relationship?"

Cody sighed. This was not a conversation he wanted to have. "This summer...when we went to New Haven..."

Kurt paused. "Cody, yours and Bailey's sex life..." Hearing his Dad say sex life made Cody cringe. "...is between the two of you. But, as your father, its my responsibility to be here to answer any questions you have and to make sure you two are being careful. I know this is a talk I should have had with before now, but I hope its not too late..."

"Dad, I know all about the birds and the bees..."

Kurt smiled. "Obviously, but Cody, that is only half the story..."

Cody turned to his Dad in confusion. "Huh?"

"Cody, having sex is one thing, knowing what you are doing and should be doing is another..."

"What do you mean?"

"I already know the answer to this question, but humor me. Do you love Bailey?"

"Of course, Dad...With all of my heart..."

"You want to make her happy, right?"

"I would do anything to make her happy..."

Kurt smiles. "Good. Cody, as a man, you have the responsibility to make sure she is satisfied with your sex lives..."

Cody paused. "Go on..."

"The point is that its supposed to be pleasurable for the both of you. Do you always make sure that Bailey...enjoys it as much as you do?"

"Of course..." Cody pauses. "At least I think I do..."

Kurt laughs. "Welcome to the world of being a guy. We can never know for sure..."

"But I want to make sure she does..."

"Good answer. That means you actually care and that you aren't in it just for yourself..."

"Of course not...I want her to love it as much as I do..."

"Alright, well, Son...I'm going to give you some advice."

Cody just looks at his dad and motions for him to continue.

"One, always be honest with her about your sex life. If you don't like something, tell her. And if you do like something, tell her. Don't hold anything back. Cody, I don't care how smart we think we are, we can't read women's minds..."

Cody nods. "I can see that..."

"And Cody, don't ever let it get boring. The same thing over and over again will be just that...boring. Don't be afraid to try new things. That's how you find out what you both like. And sometimes, it doesn't always have to be romantic...it can be pure lust..."

Cody nods again.

"And of course, there are other things that don't actually require..."

Cody interrupts him. "I already know, Dad..."

Kurt nods. "Cody, the last thing I'm going to tell you may be the most important thing I will tell you. Always remember that she is the woman you love, not some object for you to lust over...Whatever you do, it should be because you both want to. Don't ever make her do anything she doesn't want to..."

"I know Dad...trust me...I know that..."

Kurt nods. "Good...I'm glad we could have this talk..." He pauses. "Maybe I should go head and have this same talk with Zack while he's here..."

_Meanwhile, back at the farmhouse._

Bailey is in her room on her laptop. She is double checking that Cody's present that she ordered had been delivered to Boston. She sighed in relief when she discovered that it had. Her attention was diverted from the computer screen by a knock at her door. She looked up to see her Mom coming into her room.

"Hey, Mom...What's up?"

Maggie closed the door behind her and came over and sat on Bailey's bed next to her. "I was hoping you and I could talk, woman to woman..."

Bailey just stared at her mother. "About what?"

Maggie smiled. "We may grow turnips here, but I just didn't fall of the turnip truck..."

Bailey was confused. "Huh?"

Maggie paused. "I'm talking about the obvious change in your and Cody's relationship..."

Bailey looked at her Mom trying to figure out where she was going with this. "Ch...Ch...Change?"

Maggie smiled. "Its okay...I recognize the looks that you and Cody are sharing with each other. I thought I was going to have to hose you two down at the dance the other night..."

Bailey began to look around for a hole to climb into. "Mom...I...uhhh..."

"Bailey, just talk to me. What you tell me stays between us and will never leave this room..."

Bailey pauses. "Alright..."

"Good...Now, when did you two start?"

"This past summer, when we went to New Haven..."

"Was it planned?"

"No, not at all. We both had been feeling the heat growing between us, but neither of us had plans to take it to the next level then..."

"What changed your minds?"

Bailey shrugged. "We sat down on the beach there and talked about it. About how we were both feeling, our fears, our concerns..."

"So, what happened?"

"We both realized we were ready..."

Maggie nodded. "I don't want to seem like I'm fishing for details, but how was it? Did it hurt?"

Bailey paused. "A little at first, but after that it just felt wonderful. Mom, it was the most amazing night of my life..."

Maggie smiled. "Good. Now, was this before or after you went on birth control pills?"

Bailey's eyes grew wide. "How did you know about that?"

"Carey Martin called me. She thought I had the right to know..."

Bailey nodded. "I went on birth control before we went. The doctor at my physical for Tipton Industries suggested them to regulate my cycle..."

Maggie nodded again. "I can understand that. I just want to make sure that you two are being careful..."

"We are, Mom. We both know that we are several years away from being ready to have kids. But, I know without a doubt that when the time is right, I do want children with Cody..."

"I kind of figured that would be the eventuality...Okay, I want to get back to the basics. Now that you have a sex life, I want to make sure that its a good one..."

"No need to worry about that Mom, its wonderful..."

"So, Cody is a considerate lover? He always makes sure he pleases you?"

"Every time..."

Maggie smiled. "I kind of figured he would be...Especially knowing how much he loves you." Maggie pauses. "I also want to make sure you know that its okay to let Cody know exactly what it is you like. He may be very considerate, but he's not a mind reader..."

"I know..."

"And its okay to try new things with each other. If you both like it, great. If not, oh well. But the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to always talk to each other and be honest with each other. But its perfectly natural to want to experiment and have some fun. And it doesn't always have to be gentle and loving. Sometimes it can be two people showing how much they desire each other. Don't be afraid to try something just because you think he will think less of you. He is probably wanting to try it as much as you are..."

Bailey nods. "Okay..."

"But, be respectful too. Don't ever force him to do something he doesn't want to do or let him force you to do something you don't want to do..."

"I would never do that, and I know he wouldn't either..."

"Good. Beyond actual intercourse, there are other sexual acts..."

"I know, Mom...Cody and I have both discussed that. All I will say is the we both enjoy them..."

Maggie nods. "The same rules apply to them as well. The last thing I'm going to say is to always remember that beyond being your partner, he is also the man you love. Don't ever forget that..."

"I will never forget that..."

"Good. And Bailey, if you ever have any more questions or just want someone to talk to, I'm here for you."

Bailey leans in and hugs her Mom. "Thank, Mom...Thanks for being so understanding about this..."

Maggie smiles. "Well, you're a woman now, time to treat you like one. You do know this isn't the first time I've had this talk with one of my daughters. Besides, I'm am thankful that you waited until you found the man you love..."

Bailey smiles. "Me too...I can't imagine doing it with someone I didn't...Feeling Cody's love for me is what makes it so special..."

"I would expect nothing less from him..."

Bailey paused. "Does Daddy know?"

"I haven't told him, but it was pretty obvious to me and Carey..."

Bailey looks shocked. "Carey knows?"

Maggie smiles. "Why do you think Kurt wanted to get Cody away for a little while today? They are having a similar father-son talk..."

Bailey sighs. "Will you promise me that if Daddy does find out, he won't try to kill Cody?"

Maggie laughs. "I don't think you have to worry about that. Your father is pretty fond of him and knows you two love each other..."

"I sure hope so..."

_Later that afternoon_

Cody has returned with Kurt and immediately heads up to Bailey's room. He knocks and then comes in. Bailey had been laying back on her bed but sat up when she heard the knock.

Cody just looks at her. "Hey..."

"Hey..."

Cody pauses. "Look...I got ambushed today..."

Bailey nods. "Me too..."

Cody walks over and sits next to her. "Was yours as awkward as mine was?"

"At first..." Bailey pauses. "But afterwards, it was actually a good talk..."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, a lot of things I really hadn't thought about before..."

"I had my share of those too..."

"Like what?"

Cody pauses. "Bails?"

"Yeah?"

Cody is hesitant. "Have I always...completely satisfied you?"

Bailey smiled. "Yes, you have..."

Cody sighs in relief and then pauses. "If I ever don't, tell me...because I want to make sure that I do...Its important to me that you enjoy everything as much as I do..."

"Cody, I do...And I know you would do whatever it took to please me...But it really means a lot that its important to you..."

"Of course it is...I love you."

"And I love you too...And I know that we will figure out what is right for us. We have all the time in the world to find out what we like and what we don't..." Bailey pauses. "In fact, there are some things I've wanted to try, but I wasn't sure how to bring them up without you thinking that..."

Cody interrupts her. "I would never think anything like that..." He smiled. "And whatever it is, just tell me...I know I've had thoughts too I should have told you about...And if you say no, I will never bring it up again..."

Bailey smiled. "Same here...From here on out, we both tell each other everything, okay?"

"Agreed..." Cody paused and began to laugh. "I guess we weren't as subtle as we thought we were, huh?"

Bailey laughed. "I guess not...But I blame you for that..."

"Me?"

Bailey smiled. "If you didn't have to be so darn irresistible..."

Cody smiled. "Not my fault you are the sexiest, most beautiful woman in the world...You've hooked me for life..."

"As you have me..."

"Oh well, it is kind of nice that we don't have to worry about our parents finding out now..."

Bailey pauses. "Not quite...I don't think my Dad knows yet..."

Cody fell silent. "When he does, you think he will try to kill me?"

Bailey smiled. "If he tries, he'll have to go through me first..."

Cody smiles. "Thanks, Sweetie..."

There is a knock at the door and Zack and Cassie come into the room.

"Hey guys, what did you two get into today?"

Cody and Bailey look at each other and begin to laugh. "Oh you know, same old same old..."

Zack pauses and shrugs. "Anyways, there is a bowl game on if anyone wants to watch it..."

Cody glances to Bailey and smiles. Then he turns back to Zack. "Actually, Zack, Dad was looking for you...I think he wanted to talk to you about something..."

_To be Continued..._


	34. Christmas Eve

_Chapter 34_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

The rest of the time in Kettlecorn managed to fly by without anymore major moments. Well, except for Zack. He still wasn't happy that Cody had set him up for that talk with their Dad. Initially, Bailey was slightly nervous around Kurt and Cody around Maggie. But Kurt and Maggie each took their respective child's significant other aside and told them that everything was alright and that there was no need for any apprehension. Both made it clear that they were glad that Cody and Bailey had talked it out before doing anything.

Christmas Eve finally arrived, and it was going to be a busy day. The day started with breakfast which was followed by a full out family snowball fight. It was a lot of fun, but Cody did learn firsthand that all the Picketts had a competitive streak. Of course, the Picketts soon learned the lesson the hard way that you never let the twins conspire against you. Of course, in the end, Zack turned on his brother to get his measure of payback.

After that, everyone came inside to get cleaned up. Beyond that, Bailey, Cody, Cassie and Zack had to finish up their packing to be ready to head back to the airport later that night. Cody and Zack remembered to pull their girlfriends aside and let them know ahead of time that their gifts for them would be waiting for them in Boston. Bailey and Cassie looked at each other, smiled, and said that's where their boyfriend's gifts were too.

Per tradition in the Pickett family, there was an early Christmas Eve dinner. After his Thanksgiving exploits, Maggie asked Cody if we wanted to help out. Cody, knowing it never hurt to take any chance to look good in the eyes of your girlfriend's parents, happily agreed. And this time, Bailey joined him. After dinner was fixed and served, everyone sat down for a fine feast.

After dinner is when everyone would usually swap presents. So, everyone squeezed into the living room and around the Christmas tree. Bobbi and Bernie, the two youngest children, were given the task of playing Santa and passing out everyone's gifts. Once that was done, it was family tradition that everyone opened gifts in order of age from youngest to oldest. This meant that first up where Bailey's nieces, nephews and younger sisters. Through out the course of the past year at sea and while in Boston, Bailey was always on the lookout for something her sisters would like. And of course, they all loved receiving gifts for the four corners of the globe. Of course, the tags on all the gifts said they were from both Bailey and Cody.

Eventually, it got to the four teens age group. After they all opened the various gifts in front of them, Joe Pickett stood up and walked over to Cody and Bailey and handed them an envelope. Bailey opened it and inside found a large gift card to Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Maggie spoke up. "Your father and I thought that would be the most useful gift we could get you two..."

Bailey looked up and smiled. "It's perfect..." She got up to hug both of her parents. Cody followed her and hugged Maggie and shook Joe's hand. "I'm sure we will put it to good use..."

Joe smiled. "I don't envy you now. You're the one she's going to drag there and make look at every single thing..." Maggie rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder.

Cody laughed. "That part I don't mind...Its the fact that in the end, my opinion won't matter in the least..." This time, Bailey rolled her eyes and smacked Cody's shoulder.

Joe laughed. "You're already learning..."

But their was one present left to be given to them. Finally, Kurt stood up and pulled two tiny boxes from his pocket and gave one to Zack and Cassie and one to Cody and Bailey.

"Go ahead, open them..."

The guys let the girls open them and each held up a key chain with a gold plated "11" with each of their names engraved on one of the ones.

The four looked each other and then back at Kurt in confusion.

Kurt smiled. "This isn't all of your gift. I told you all that I had news about my newest album. Well, the news is that a major label has picked me up. And with that came a very nice signing bonus. The key chains are only part of a combination Christmas/Graduation present from Sarah and I. Once you all graduate, we'll see what we can do about getting some keys to put on them..."

Zack stared at his Dad. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Kurt nodded. "Yes, I am...Now, you have about six months for each of you to sit down as a pair and try to agree what kind of keys you want...You all will be off to college soon. Cody, Bailey, I know you two will be together and I know Zack and Cassie are trying to do the same thing. We figured you might need a way to get around and maybe come see your families everyone once in a while..."

The four immediately got up and hugged both Kurt and Sara.

Cody smiled. "Thanks, Dad...Sarah"

Bailey smiled too. "Thank you both so much..."

Kurt smiled. "All I ask is that you two girls try to keep my sons practical about this...If I know them like I think I think I do, they are both having visions of sports cars in their minds..."

Bailey and Cassie smile and both answer. "We will..." while Cody and Zack both give a look of indignation.

It was time to move on the Bailey's older sisters and their significant others. The opening of presents continued and finally it got to the adults. After they finished opening their gifts including several nice ones from their children, it was time for everyone to clean up the wrapping paper and get ready for the evening church service.

The church was the same one that Kurt and Sarah had gotten married in, and unlike the past August, everyone was glad it had heat now. The actual service was very nice. It was a mixture of the telling of the birth of Christ, plays and skits, and a candlelit singing of carols at the very end. Once it was over, everyone knew it was time for everyone to say goodbye. The four teens had to be getting to the airport if they were going to catch the red eye to Boston.

Bailey hugged her sisters and then her parents goodbye. "I'll see all of you again real soon..."

Joe smiled. "We know. If we don't see you over spring break, we'll definitely be in Boston for graduation..."

Maggie just shook her head. "Graduation...It seems like just the other day I was dropping you off on that boat for the first time..."

Bailey smiled. "Its been almost two and a half years, Mom...A lot has happened since then..."

"I know...I was dropping off my little girl then. I'm sending you back for you final semester as a woman..."

Joe smiled. "So, now that you are about done, was this adventure of yours everything you thought it would be?"

"Everthing and more, Daddy...It was the second best decision I ever made..."

"And what was the best?"

She looked over her shoulder at Cody talking to his Dad. "I think that's obvious..."

Joe nodded. "Well, come here and give your old man one last hug. Make it a good one, its got to last me a while..." And with that, Bailey wrapped her arms tightly around her father.

"You know, you will always be my little girl...Even if you are your own woman now..."

"I know...And you'll always be my Daddy..."

"I know...But even I can accept that I'm not the most important man in your life anymore..." He pauses. "You make sure he takes care of you, you hear me..."

"I will, Daddy...I will..."

And with all the goodbyes said, the teens climbed back into the SUV and began the long drive to the Kansas City airport. They arrived a few hours before the red eye, and this time it was time for Kurt and Sarah to say goodbye.

"You boys keep taking care of each other...and your girlfriends..." Kurt paused. "I hope you both took what I told you this past week to heart..."

"We will, Dad..."

"And we will remember everything you told us..."

"And Bailey and Cassie...If you would, please keep an eye on my boys..." Kurt smiles. "I know its asking a lot, but try to keep them out of trouble..."

Cassie and Bailey laughed. "We'll do our best..."

"And if either of them get out of line, don't hesitate to call me..."

Kurt turned back to his sons. "I'm extremely proud of you both. You've both become fine young men that I know have their heads screwed on straight. And you'll both soon be graduating and off to college. Just keep up the good work. I'll talk to you both soon, and at the least, I'll see you both back in Boston for your graduation..." With that, Kurt hugged his two sons.

Cody, Bailey, Cassie and Zack checked in their bags and waited for their flight to be called. Eventually, they boarded and began their flight back to Boston. This time, there was no turbulence and everyone was able to get some sleep on the plane. A little over three hours later, the plane landed at Boston Logan airport at about eight in the morning. While they were able to sleep, three hours was hardly enough. The four groggily made their way off of the plane, telling each other that maybe someday they will have a plane they get finally get a full night's sleep on.

They made their way from the gate to the baggage claim area and standing there waiting on them was Carey. She immediately pulled her two boys into a hug and wished them a Merry Christmas. Then she turned to Bailey and Cassie and did the same to them.

"You guys look exhausted..."

Zack laughed. "I guess there's a good reason they call them red eyes..."

Carey laughed. "Well, I think I have something that should wake you all up..."

Cody looked to his mom. "You have coffee?"

Carey smiled. "No, not coffee. Remember that surprise I told you about?"

"Yeah..."

"Turn around..."

The four turn around and Cody and Zack's eyes grow wide.

Standing there is an older woman smiling at them. "I figured it was about time I saw my boys again..."

"Grandma!"

_To be Continued..._

**Author's Note: I am assuming the "Grammy" Zack and Cody are always talking about is Kurt's mother, the one we know is deceased.**


	35. Return to the Tipton

_Chapter 35_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Cody and Zack quickly pulled their grandmother into a hug. She just pulled them both to her tightly. "It is so good to see you two again!"

When they finally pulled apart, Cody spoke up. "Grandma, this is..."

She cut him off. "Bailey and Cassie. Cody, I talk to you and Zack at least once a week and you've sent me pictures and told me all about them. I feel like I already know them..." She smiles. "So good to finally meet you both..."

Bailey smiles. "Its nice to meet you too, Mrs...ummm"

Grandma laughed. "Its Mrs. Rhodes, but my name is Eleanor, but most people just call me Ellie..."

"Well, its nice to meet you, Ellie..."

Ellie smiled. "Likewise...I hope to get to know you both even better the next week or so..."

Ellie just turned to look at Zack and Cody again. She couldn't get over how much they'd grown. But, seeing them like this, she couldn't help but remember. She must have been deep in her thoughts because next thing she knew, Carey was shaking her shoulder.

"Mom, is everything okay?"

Ellie sighed. "Yeah. I guess the last time I saw those two in the flesh was the summer before they first went off to that ship. They've grown up so much since then..."

Carey smiled. "Trust me...I know..." Carey turns back to the teens. "Well, let's grab your bags and get back to the Tipton. There are other people there who can't wait to see you guys again too..."

And with that, they gathered up their bags and left the airport. Again, waiting on them was the Tipton Airport Shuttle that would take them back to the hotel. After about a thirty minute trip, the shuttle pulled into the front of the Tipton.

Bailey turned to Cody. "It feels good to be back here again. I didn't realize how much I would miss it..."

"It kind of grows on you, doesn't it?"

They gather all of their bags and walk into the front door. The lobby is decorated for Christmas with lights, holly, wreathes and several Christmas trees. Standing behind the manager's desk is Esteban who looks up and sees them coming in. He runs over to welcome them.

"Ahhh...My little blonde peoples and my little sort of blonde peoples...So good to see you all again..."

Zack smiles. "Good to see you again too, Esteban...How's married life going?"

Esteban smiles. "Oh, it is going very well. I can't imagine my life without my Francesca...In fact, she will be here later on this afternoon for the big feast..."

"Big feast?"

"Yes, Mr. Tipton is having a meal brought in for all of his employees and their families..."

Ellie leans in and whispers to Bailey and Cassie. "And thank goodness for that...I love my daughter, but if we had to rely on her cooking, we'd all end up in the 24 hour coffee shop across the street after she went to bed..."

Bailey and Cassie both try to keep from laughing.

Esteban speaks up. "Bailey, Cassie...I have the keys to your suite for you..."

The girls look to each other in surprise. "Our suite? I thought we were staying with London..."

"Yes, Mr. Tipton wanted to make sure you two were well taken care of while you were our guests. Along with the suite, you have full complimentary use of all the hotels many amenities including the spa..."

"Wow..."

Zack turned to Cody. "We lived here three years and were never allowed to use the spa..."

Esteban laughed. "You both have full use of it now as well..."

"Sweet..."

"Allow me to me to call the bellboy to help you all with your belongings..."

The bellboy finally shows up and loaded Bailey and Cassie's bags onto a luggage cart. Ellie leans in and whispers to them both again. "Aren't you two going to take the boy's bags up to your suite as well. I assume they will be staying with you both, right?"

Bailey and Cassie both blush.

Ellie laughs. "No need for all of that. I may be older, but I'm not stupid..."

Bailey pauses. "We just..."

"Yeah, yeah...You want them to stay with you, they want to stay with you, what's the big deal?"

Bailey looks surprised. "Really?"

Ellie smiles. "Yes, I know my grandsons are both crazy about you two. Heck, I've only seen you with them for about an hour, and I can see it...Life's too short not to enjoy every moment of it..."

"Thank you..." Bailey turns to the bellhop. "If you would, please take the guy's bags up to the same room..."

"Yes, ma'am..." The bellboy loads up the boy's bags on the same cart and begins to push it to the elevator.

At that time, Arwin comes into the lobby and sees everyone. "Hey, there you guys are. Its good to see you all again..."

Cody smiles. "Good to see you too, Arwin..."

"Hey, I could use a couple extra pair of hands...Would you two guys mind giving me some help?"

"Sure, no problem..."

Ellie smiles. "Good, you two boys go help Arwin, and I will make sure these two young ladies get to their suite..." She turns to the girls. "I have something I want to show you both...You two go on ahead, I'll see you there in five minutes..."

The girls nod and follow the bellboy to the elevator while the boys follow Arwin to the stairs to head down to the basement. Once there, Zack and Cody look to Arwin.

"So, what we can we do to help?"

Arwin pauses. "Actually, there is nothing that needs to be fixed. I wanted to ask you both something..."

Zack shrugs. "Shoot..."

"I want to ask your Mother to celebrate New Year's Eve with me, but I wanted to make sure it was okay with you two before I did..."

Cody smiles. "So, you're finally going to ask her out, huh?"

Arwin sighs. "Yeah, I think I'm ready..."

Zack smiles. "About time...Go for it...and good luck."

Cody nods. "Yeah, if there is anything we can do to help, just let us know..."

"If I can get her to agree, would you guys mind coming along with your girlfriends? I could use all the moral support I can get..."

Zack laughs. "Sure, I don't think Cassie or Bailey will mind..."

"Yeah, they won't at all...But Arwin, make sure you get reservations at a nice place as soon as you can...Its only a week away..."

Arwin nods. "You're right...Thanks guys, I really appreciate it..."

Cody smiles. "No problem, Arwin. You're a good guy and we both want to see our Mom happy..."

"Cody's right...I will say, it might be a good idea to get rid of the cutout of her first...That's kind of creepy..."

_Meanwhile, in the girls' suite_

Bailey and Cassie are both moving their bags into their respective rooms in the two bedroom suite. Bailey goes ahead and drags Cody's bags into her room, but Cassie hesitates before doing the same with Zack's. There is a knock at the door and Bailey goes over to answer it. Ellie walks into the suite carrying a large book with her.

As Ellie sits on the couch, she looks to the girls. "Ladies, I want to show you both something..."

Bailey and Cassie walk over and sit on either side of her.

"This is a photo album that I've kept over the years of my two grandsons. I just want to show you both how much they mean to me. My youngest daughter hasn't seen fit to give me any grandchildren yet, so Zack and Cody are my legacy in this world. Long after I'm gone, they will still be here as proof that I was ever here..."

Bailey and Cassie both nod, but neither speaks.

Ellie opens the album. "Okay, you two see this picture right here. It was taken about three hours after they were born..."

Bailey smiles. "Awww...they were adorable..."

Cassie nods. "Yeah...how did anyone ever tell them apart?"

Ellie laughs. "You see those hospital bracelets. At first, that was the only way. In fact, I think Carey once thought she had accidentally switched them..."

"So...Zack could be Cody and Cody could be Zack?"

Ellie shakes her head. "No, I don't think so. I think she had them matched up with their fingerprints or footprints or something like that..."

She proceeds to flip a few pages. "And this one here, this was taken on their first day of kindergarten..." Ellie sighs. "This seems like yesterday and here they are graduating in a matter of months..."

Bailey points to another picture. "Who is that in the picture with them?"

Ellie smiles. "That's my late husband, Charlie...the boy's grandfather and the love of my life..."

"He was a very handsome man..."

Ellie grins. "He was, wasn't he? And he was all mine. I met him when I was 15, and I knew I had found the one..."

Bailey smiles. "I know that feeling..."

"Its something, ain't it?"

They keep looking through the album when they get to the very last page. Cassie looks at the last picture and frowns.

"That looks like it was taken last week, but I've never seen either one of them wear clothes like that..."

Ellie sighs. "Because that picture was taken in 1940..."

Both girls look at her in surprise.

Ellie smiles. "Girls, trust me, that isn't Zack and Cody. Those are my older brothers Thomas and Mitchell..."

Cassie and Bailey can't believe what they are seeing. The resemblance of their boyfriends to their great uncles is uncanny.

"I know, when I saw them earlier today, you could have knocked me over with a feather..."

Bailey paused. "I guess that explains Cody's middle name then..."

Ellie smiled and nodded. "Yeah...Zachary Thomas and Cody Mitchell...Its good to see you know his middle name..."

Bailey smiles. "Its actually easy to remember. Cody is my Little Egghead. The first letter of Egghead is E. And my Little E equals CM²...Cody Mitchell Martin..."

Cassie rolls her eyes while Ellie laughs. "You really are perfect for my grandson..."

Bailey turns to Ellie. "Thank you...but I've never heard either one of them mention their great uncles..."

Ellie sighs. "Probably because they never met them...Carey didn't even get to meet them, but I was always telling her about them growing up..."

"Why not?"

"Well, that picture was taken in 1940, you know what happened the next year?"

Bailey paused and then gasped. "Pearl Harbor..."

Ellie nods. "And by 1941, they were both 18 and both got drafted..."

"Oh no..."

Ellie had a sad smile. "Afraid so...Tommy was drafted into the army, and I'm sad to say, he never made it off Omaha Beach..."

Cassie shook her head. "I'm so sorry..."

Ellie nodded. "And Mitch...I don't know if we will ever know what happened to him..."

Bailey paused. "What do you mean?"

"He was drafted into the navy and transferred over to the marines. Last we were told is that he was part of the invasion of Iwo Jima. Neither he nor his body were ever found, and he was declared MIA..."

"I'm so sorry...That must be the worst, not knowing..."

Ellie smiled. "Yeah, it was. But, it taught me a very valuable lesson the hard way..."

"What was that?"

"Always cherish every single moment you have with the people you love. Girls, I would give anything to spend one more moment with my Charlie or Tommy or Mitch. But, I won't get to...at least not in this world...That was the reason I wanted to show you both this album. I may be extremely biased, but I think my grandsons are two of the finest young men. And I know they both care a great deal about you both, and from what I can see, you both care a great deal about them. I just want you both to make sure you cherish every moment you have with them. You don't want to look back fifty years later like I do and wish you had just one more minute with them..."

Cassie and Bailey both look at each other and then back to Ellie. "Thank you for showing that to us...And thank you even more for the words of wisdom..."

At the moment, there is a knock at the door. Ellie smiles at them both. "I bet that's them now. Spend some quality time with them and I'll see you all at dinner..."

The girls nod and Ellie gets up to open the door to find Zack and Cody. "Hey Grandma..."

Ellie cups both of their cheeks. "Such good boys...I'll see you both at dinner..." And with that, she leaves.

Zack and Cody watch her leave and then turn back to their girlfriends. "Did we miss something?"

Cassie and Bailey both get up and immediately hug their guys. "No, you didn't...and we want to make sure we don't either..."

_**To be Continued...**_


	36. And to All A Good Night

_Chapter 36_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

**Author's Note: Okay, I know I dragged this moment out a little bit, but I think this is the chapter a lot of people have been waiting for.I will say, it was hard to decide on the gifts.**

The dinner that evening was top notch, but that was to be expected considering it was from Wilfred Tipton. Several familiar faces were there, including a glowing Francesca. Esteban was so happy to announce to everyone that Francesca was pregnant and that he was going to soon be a father. Francesca did her best to calm him down, but she she was happy that he was so excited about it. Everyone congratulated them, and it gave everyone another reason to celebrate. After dinner, everyone returned back up to Carey's suite on the 23rd floor.

"I know you all are probably ready to just go to sleep, but I wanted to give you guys your Christmas presents actually on Christmas..."

"We have your gift too, Mom, we just need to run to the suite and get it..."

"And we have a gift for Grandma too..."

Ellie shakes her head. "You all didn't have to get me anything. Just being able to spend time with you all is enough for me..."

Cody smiled. "Well, its nothing we can take back, so Zack and I will be right back..."

Zack and Cody quickly ran up to the suite and then come right back. They handed Carey and envelope and Ellie a rectangular box. "Go ahead and open them..."

Carey shrugs and opens up the envelope and pulls out what is inside. She reads it and then reads it again. She looks up at the four. "Is this what I think it is?"

Zack smiled. "Sure is...We all chipped in to send you to a spa for a weekend so you can get pampered..."

Carey smiled. "Thank you all...You have no idea how much I am looking forward to using this..."

Cody smiled. "We figured you deserved some time for yourself..."

Carey sighed blissfully. "Can I leave tomorrow?"

Everyone laughed and turned their attention to Ellie. "Open it Grandma..."

Ellie opened the box and pulled out a silver picture frame. Inside of it was a picture taken at Kurt and Sarah's wedding of the boys in their tuxes and the girls in their bridesmaid dresses. Ellie smiled. "Thank you, I love it...Now I can show off to all my girlfriends how handsome my grandsons are and how beautiful their girlfriends are...I will cherish this."

Ellie gets up and grabs her purse. "I have something for the four of you as well..." She pulls out an envelope and hands it to Zack. "Now, you open it..."

Zack opens it and looks inside. He can't believe what he sees inside. He quickly shows it to Cody, Bailey and Cassie. "Four tickets to the Pats and Dolphins on January 2? This is amazing! Thank you, Grandma..."

Ellie smiled. "You're very welcome..."

Carey turned to her mother. "Thanks, Mom...You give them the fun gift while I give them the practical ones..." Carey sighs and hands out four different envelopes to the four teens. They all four open them and find gift certificates to various stores like Wal-Mart and Best Buy. "I figured these could come in handy for you all when you are getting ready to go to college next year..."

Cody and Zack both hug their Mom. "Thanks, Mom. You're always thinking about what we need..."

Carey smiles. "Well, I am your mother...that's my job." She pauses. "Oh yeah, all of your gifts arrived last week. I've already wrapped them like I promised. You all want to open them now or take them on up to the suite and open them later?"

Zack paused. "Maybe should open them later...I'm kind of beat..."

The other three agreed.

Carey smiled. "Well, you all get some sleep and we will see you all in the morning for breakfast...or lunch depending how long you sleep..."

The four all get up and hug Carey and Ellie goodnight and again wish them a Merry Christmas. They grab all of the remaining presents and make their way back to the suite. Once inside, Zack turns to the other three.

"Okay, I know we're all tired, but I figured there might be some gifts we didn't want to open in front of Mom and Grandma..."

Cody looked at his brother. "Like what?"

Zack could only smile. "Just saying...So, what do you all say, one last gift exchange before Christmas is over?"

The other three shrug. The girls take seats on the couch while the boys sit on the floor facing them. Quickly, presents are all passed out.

Cody turned to the girls. "Ladies first..."

Cassie picks up her first gift in a large box. "Its from Bailey and Cody..." Cassie removes the wrapping paper and opens the box. Inside, she finds a brand new backpack with her initials CEP embroidered on it and a state of the art electronic organizer.

"We thought they might come in handy for you next semester and on into college...You said your old backpack was getting a bit tattered..."

Cassie smiled. "Thank you so much...I love them..." She leaned in and hugged her cousin and then Cody. She turned back to Bailey. "Okay, your turn to open the one from me and Zack..."

Bailey found the right gift and slowly opened the box. Inside, Bailey found a large fleece blanket with a large "Y" on it and a new digital camera. Cassie turned to her cousin. "You kept mentioning your old camera wasn't working right, and I've been told that will keep you warm on cold New England nights..."

Bailey smiled and got up and hugged Zack and then hugged her cousin. "I love them...Thank you both..."

The girls pull apart and turn to the guys. "Why don't you two open a gift now..."

The boys shrug and Zack grabs a gift. "Its from Cody and Bailey..." He begins to open up the box in front of him and looks inside. His eyes open wide and then back to his brother. "No way!"

Cody laughed. "Yes, way..."

Zack pulls out a backpack similar to the one Cassie got except it had ZTM embroidered on it. But, also inside was a copy of the newest edition of Madden NFL for his gaming system.

Zack hugs Bailey and the hugs his brother. "Thanks guys...I've been wanting this for forever..."

Cassie just shakes her head and laughs. "Yeah...thanks guys..."

Zack turns to his brother. "Before you open your gift from Cassie and me, there is another part of it I have to get out of my bag..."

Cassie looks at Zack in confusion. "What other part?"

Zack smiled. "You'll see..."

Zack crawls over to his bag and roots around inside of it till he finds what he's looking for and crawls back. He looks to his brother. "Open the bigger box first..."

Cody shrugs and opens the large box. What he sees inside brings a smile to his face and he turns to his brother. "You remembered?"

Zack laughs. "How can I not? You went on for a while about how much you would love to have one and with you about to get your own kitchen soon..."

Cody pulls out the box with a Magic Bullet blender in it. Bailey can't help but to laugh. Cassie smiles. "There is something else in there too..."

Cody looks back in the box and sure enough there is. Its a new cutlery set with the woodblock to store everything in. Cody smiles. "You guys are the best..." He gets up to hug Cassie and then hugs his brother. "Thank you so much...My..." He pauses and smiles. "Our kitchen is beginning to take shape..."

Zack hands Cody the last gift he got from his bag. "I kept going back and fort about giving this to you, but after you set me up with Dad, consider this my final payback..."

Cody frowns at his brother but begins to open the package anyways. What he sees causes his eyes to bulge out. "Zack...you shouldn't have..."

Zack begins to laugh while Bailey and Cassie look on with interest.

"What is it, Sweetie?"

Cody looks up at Bailey. "I think you need to see for yourself..."

Bailey crawls down on the floor next to Cody and looks at what he is holding. Like Cody, her eyes grow wide and then she stares at Zack. "You got your brother a copy of the Kama Sutra?"

Zack begins to laugh again while Cassie can only shake her head. "Zack...You didn't..."

Zack grins. "Now you see why I didn't want to open everything in front of Mom and Grandma...You guys know how hard that was to get? I had to get London to buy it for me since she is already 18...Fortunately, she didn't bother to ask what it was..."

Cody just looks at his brother. "Zack...I don't know what to say..."

Zack grins again. "You can tell me 'Thank you' later..."

Cody just shakes his head and sighs. "Lets just move on..."

Bailey nods. "Yeah, lets do that...Cassie, why don't you open your gift from Zack..." And to herself. "...and I hope its something normal..."

Cassie grabbed the last box in front of her and began to open it. Once she did, she looked down and began to laugh.

Zack frowned. "You don't like it?"

Cassie smiled. "No, I love it...Go ahead and open yours from me, and you'll understand..."

Zack takes the last box in front of him and opens it. Once he sees what it is, he begins to laugh too.

Cody looks to Bailey in confusion and she just shrugs. "You guys want to let us in on the joke?"

Both Zack and Cassie both hold up their gifts. They had both gotten each other the iPhone 4G.

Zack turned to Cassie. "I remember you saying how much you loved Bailey's phone, so I figured I would get you the newest one..."

Cassie smiled. "And I remember you saying the same thing about Cody's..."

"So, you do like it?"

Cassie gets up and hugs Zack and then kisses him. "I love it...I was probably going to end up buying one for myself anyways...Now, I don't have to thanks to my thoughtful boyfriend..."

Zack smiled. "Well, I just wanted to get you something I thought you would like..."

"And you did...Do you like yours?"

"Of course...I just need to go ahead and program your number under my first speed dial..."

"So do I..." Cassie pauses. "Well, in a little bit, I think there are more gifts left to open..." She turns to Cody and Bailey.

Cody looks up at Bailey. "Go ahead, Sweetie..."

Bailey grabs her last present and begins to open it. She sees what's inside and looks up to Cody and smiled. "You remembered...Of course, now you really are going to have to teach me..."

Cassie looks to her cousin. "Teach you what?"

Bailey pulls up a pair of brand new ice skates. "Cody told me he was going to teach me how to ice skate...Now I have the skates to be able to do that..." She turns to Cody. "Can we start one day this week?"

Cody smiled. "As you wish..." Cody pulls an envelope out of his pocket and gives it to Bailey. "The other half of your gift I couldn't wrap..."

Bailey takes the envelope and opens it. She pulls out a sheet of paper and begins to read it. Once she does, she looks up in shock. "Cody! Does this mean what I think it means?"

Cody smiled again. "Yup...You just need to let them know when to deliver it..."

Zack interrupts. "Deliver what?"

Bailey smiled. "Right before we headed back to the ship last summer, we went shopping to get an idea of what kind of furniture we wanted for the apartment. At one place, I saw a brass bed that I absolutely fell in love with. According to this, Cody bought it for me..."

Cassie smiled. "How thoughtful..."

Bailey turned back to Cody. "I can't believe you did this..."

"I hope the lady approves..."

Bailey crawls down and wraps her arms tightly around Cody. "The lady not only approves, but she loves it...but not nearly as much as she loves you..."

"Well, the gentleman did it because he loves the lady too..."

Bailey smiled at him. "Your turn now...I will admit that there appears to be a common theme here tonight..."

Cody takes his last box and opens it. He looks inside and begins to laugh. "Wow...You guys really do listen to me when I'm watching late night infomercials..."

"What is it, Bro?"

Cody smiled. "Its the George Foreman GRP90WGR Next Grilleration Electric Nonstick Grill...with the five removable plates...one for grilling, one for steak grilling, one for waffle making, one for baking and a griddle..."

Zack rolled his eyes. "About time...He's been drooling over that for a while now..."

Cody turned to Bailey and kissed her cheek. "Thank you so much...I absolutely love it..."

Bailey smiled. "Well, that's not all of it...Like you, I couldn't wrap the other half of your gift either..." She proceeds to hand him an envelope too.

Cody takes it, and like Bailey, opens it and reads it. He begins to laugh again. "You've got to be kidding me..."

Bailey smiled. "Nope..."

Zack sighs. "Okay, out with it!"

Cody smiled. "That same shopping trip we saw the brass bed, we also saw a partner's desk that I loved. Its what gave us the idea to arrange our desks like that in the cabin. According to this, all I have to do is let them know when to deliver it..."

He turns back to Bailey. "But, Sweetie...It was so expensive..."

"I know, but I got lucky..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the lady at the store said they were going out of business at the end of the summer. And we were the only people who had actually looked at it in over a year. So, I was able to negotiate a much lower price..."

Cody smiles. "Bails, you are amazing..."

"I must have learned from being around you so much..."

"Well, I love it...Thank you so much for a wonderful Christmas..."

"You're welcome, Codykins..." and with that, Bailey lets out a yawn.

"I think its time we got you to bed, Bails..."

Bailey nods. "Yeah, I guess I am worn out..."

Cody stands up and reaches down to help Bailey up. "Come on..." He turns to Zack and Cassie. "We'll see you both in the morning..."

Zack and Cassie wish them both goodnight and Cody and Bailey head into their room.

Zack turns to Cassie. "It is pretty late. I hope the couch is comfortable..."

Cassie pauses. "You don't have to sleep there if you don't want to..."

"Where else would I sleep?"

"Well, there is another bed...Its big enough for two..."

Zack looks surprised. "Really? You sure?"

Cassie nods and smiles. "Yeah...I'm sure. But...this is only for sleeping. Don't get any other ideas in that devious mind of yours..."

Zack smiled. "Understood...Besides, after that talk with Dad, that's the last thing on my mind..."

Cassie just laughs and grabs his arm and drags him into her room.

_**To be Continued...**_


	37. Rise and Shine

_Chapter 37_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

The next morning, Bailey woke up and reached over to find the space next to her empty. She raised up and began to look around for Cody. The bathroom door was open, and she could see no lights were on inside of it. She was about to get up to look for him when the door to the bedroom opened and Cody came walking in. He was smiling and had too cups in his hand. He set them on the bedside table next to Bailey before crawling back into bed next to her.

"Where did you go?"

"I went downstairs to get us some hot chocolate. I should warn you, its snowing pretty good outside right now."

"Yeah?"

Cody smiled. "Uh huh...Which makes me glad I have somewhere warm to be..."

Bailey smiles. "Sounds good to me..."

"I also noticed something else..."

"What's that?"

"Zack wasn't sleeping on the couch..."

Bailey pauses. "Maybe he already got up for the day?"

Cody just looks at Bailey.

She shakes her head. "Yeah...what was I thinking?" She pauses again. "You don't think...?"

Cody smiled. "I can't be positive, but that would be my guess..."

Bailey smiles. "Well, good for them then..."

"Uh huh...And good for me...This is my chance for some payback after Zack's gift..."

Bailey shakes her head. "No, you won't..."

"But..."

"Cody, you leave them alone. We didn't like it when people were trying to get up into our private business, so we aren't going to do that to them..."

Cody sighs. "Fine..."

Bailey smiles. "Better..."

"I still can't believe he bought us that book...Does he think that's all we do?"

Bailey laughs. "I certainly hope not..."

Cody pauses. "So, what should we do with it?"

"I don't know..."

"I meant what I said back in New Haven. I don't want to have to look at a book to know what we're doing..."

Bailey smiled. "Trust me, Cody...we know what we're doing..."

"Yeah?"

"Definitely. But maybe we should have an open mind. Didn't our parents tell us that it was okay for us to experiment and figure out what we both liked?"

Cody pauses. "Well, yeah...and Dad did tell me to make sure that I never let it get boring..."

Bailey takes Cody's hand. "Cody, I know it will never get boring for us. We won't let it...What do you think we should do?"

Cody sighs. "I don't know...I just kind of like the thought that everything we've been doing, we've been discovering together...That what we've done has been our idea, not what some book has told us to do..."

Bailey smiled. "I like that thought too...Its kind of how our relationship has been on our terms and not what everyone thought. Maybe the way we make love should be too..."

Cody pauses. "But at the same time, I don't want us to miss out on anything that we would both really like..."

"That's one of the things I love about you. You're always willing to look at both sides of everything. Tell you what, lets put it up on the bookshelf and it will be there if we both feel we need it. But, Cody, we're both two pretty creative people. I'm sure many of the things in there we will eventually discover on our own anyways..."

Cody nods and then begins to laugh. "I can see our bookshelf now...A Tale of Two Cities...The Odyssey...Shakespeare's Sonnets...the Kama Sutra..."

Bailey begins to laugh too. "Maybe we should just keep it in our bedroom then..."

"You know we have to take it back to the ship with us, right?"

"Why?"

"Because even if we hide it here, its almost guaranteed that Mom will somehow find it..."

Bailey nods. "Good point..."

Cody leans in and kisses Bailey's cheek. "Thank you..."

"For what?"

"For always being here to listen to me and knowing the right thing to say and do..."

Bailey smiles. "For you, anytime..." Bailey pauses. "So, what's on our agenda for today?"

"Well, we're supposed to meet Mom and Grandma for breakfast or lunch or brunch...After that, we're wide open..."

"And you said it was snowing...Might be best to put off skating lessons until it stops..."

Cody thinks. "Well, we could use the spa...or go see a movie...or use our gift cards and take advantage of Day After Christmas Sales..."

Bailey smiles. "That would be the smart and prudent thing to do...We could get a lot more today then we would later..."

Cody nods. "True...But, if we do, we only get something if its something we both like, not just because its on sale..."

"Agreed..."

Cody smiled. "So, what would say to a warm shower to start this day off on the right foot?"

"Lead the way..."

_Meanwhile, in the other room_

Zack begins to stir and slowly he opens his eyes. After shaking the last remnants of sleep from them, he looks around. He notices Cassie asleep next to him, and he remembers her dragging him into her room last night. Fortunately, they had been so tired last night that they both almost immediately fell asleep.

As Zack begins to stretch, Cassie began to wake up as well. She looks over to see him stretching.

"Good morning..."

Zack turns and sees Cassie is awake. "Hey...good morning to you too..."

"How did you sleep?"

"Pretty good...but I think I was so tired, I would have slept through a freight train coming through the room..."

Cassie laughed. "I was the same way..."

"So...you slept okay too?"

Cassie nods. "Yeah..."

Zack pauses. "You know, I was kind of surprised you invited me in here last night...I wasn't expecting it..."

It was Cassie's turn to pause. "To be honest, neither was I..."

"Not that I'm complaining, but why did you?"

"I think it was something Ellie said..."

Zack looked confused. "You invited me to share your bed because of something my Grandma said?"

Cassie pauses and then begins to laugh. "That does sound weird, doesn't it?"

"Little bit..."

"Well, she told Bailey and me about your great uncles yesterday..."

"My great uncles?"

"Yeah, her brothers...Thomas and Mitchell...the ones who never came home from World War II..."

Zack nodded. "Okay..."

Cassie smiled. "By the way, I now know your middle name, Zachary Thomas..."

Zack shrugged. "Oh well, Cassandra Elizabeth..."

Cassie is surprised. "How did you know that?"

Zack smiled. "I have my ways..."

Cassie shook her head. "Anyways, Ellie was telling us about how she looks back now and wishes she could spend more time with her brothers and your grandfather...And how we should cherish every moment with you two..."

Zack nods. "Okay...But, I had no problem crashing on the couch. I told you when we first started dating that taking things slow was fine with me..."

"I know, and you've been really great about it...I guess I just wanted to see what it was like to wake up next to you..."

"And what did you discover?"

Cassie paused. "I liked it..."

Zack smiled. "Good...me too..."

Cassie smiled. "But we're still taking things slow..."

"As slow as you want...I'm in no hurry."

"Good. Just because Cody and Bailey..."

Zack interrupts her. "This isn't about them. This is about us...We aren't them."

Cassie smiled again. "I know..."

"What may be right for them might not be right for us..." Zack pauses and begins to shudder.

"What's wrong?"

"For a minute there, I sounded just like Cody..."

Cassie laughs. "Well, don't be. I'm not dating Cody, I'm dating Zack...I want you to be you..."

Zack laughs too. "You said it, not me..."

"Come on, we need to get moving anyways...We're supposed to meet your Mom and Grandma for breakfast..."

"Should I head on out back to the couch so it looks like I slept there?"

Cassie pauses. "Your choice...I don't care if Cody and Bailey know."

Zack smiled. "Me either..."

_**To be Continued...**_


	38. Words of Encouragement

_Chapter 38_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Everyone finally got up and about and they met Carey and Ellie for breakfast. After a quick bite to eat, Carey decided to join Zack and Cassie in just hanging around the hotel while Ellie decided to go browse the after Christmas sales with Cody and Bailey.

Zack, Cassie and Carey were just sitting around the suite when Zack noticed his Mom staring off into space.

"Everything okay, Mom?"

Carey snapped out of her thoughts and turned to Zack. "What was that?"

"I asked if everything was okay. It looked like you were thinking pretty hard about something..."

Carey sighed. "Yeah, I was...I had an interesting chat with Arwin earlier this morning..."

Zack smiled. "So, he finally asked you?"

Carey turns to her son in surprise. "You knew?"

"Yeah...Cody and I encouraged him to go for it..."

Carey sighs. "I wish you guys had talked to me before you did that..."

"Why? Are you already seeing someone?"

"Well, no..."

"Then what's the big deal, Mom? If you don't already have plans for New Year's Eve, why not give it a shot?"

Carey sighs again. "I don't know..."

Cassie speaks up. "Arwin seems like a really nice guy. It could be a lot worse..."

"I know...but its Arwin..."

Zack looks at his mother. "So?"

"Its just..."

"Mom, Arwin is a good guy. And he likes you. And he already knows Cody and I and likes us. And we like him. If you remember, he was one of the few people who always kept an eye on us growing up and was always around to help us out..."

Carey sighs. "I know..."

"So what do you have to lose? Give it a shot. If it goes alright, great. If it doesn't, oh well..."

Carey turns to Zack. "I suppose..."

"Good...Now why don't you tell him 'yes'?"

"But what if its just the two of us and it gets awkward?"

Zack smiled. "We already told Arwin we would be there too...Besides, it will only be awkward if you let it be awkward..."

Carey paused to think. "You know, you're right...Thanks, Zack."

"Anytime, Mom...Now, get out of here."

Carey gets up and heads off to find Arwin.

Zack notices Cassie smiling at him. "What?"

"That was really sweet what you just did for your mother...and for Arwin..."

Zack shrugs. "Who knows, maybe something good will come out of it..."

"What do you mean?"

Zack sighs. "It would be nice to know that while Cody and I are gone off to college that Mom will have someone around to take care of her..."

"I think your Mom can take care of herself...but, I can understand you wanting to know she has someone. I felt the same way about Aunt Sarah..."

Zack smiled. "And that ended up working out pretty well..."

"Very true..."

"What do you say we get out of here too?"

"And go where? Its almost a blizzard outside..."

"I was thinking about trying out the spa...I've wanted to do that for years now..."

Cassie rolled her eyes and laughed. "Sure, why not...That definitely sounds a whole lot more relaxing then hitting the stores today..."

"Tell me about it..."

_Meanwhile_

Cody, Bailey and Ellie have hit several stores already. Cody and Bailey have found great deals on several things they both liked and needed. Eventually, Cody was carrying so many bags that someone might have thought he had gone shopping with London. He begged the two ladies a chance to go drop them off in the car. Bailey and Ellie both decided to take pity on him and agreed to stop for a cup of hot chocolate while he ran to the car. As they sat waiting on him, they begin to chat.

"Now, Bailey, if I may, I keep noticing that locket you wear. Its absolutely beautiful..."

Bailey smiles and reaches down and rubs it. "It was a gift from Cody on our anniversary. I like to wear it as much as possible. Its like I've always have a piece of him with me at all times..."

Ellie smiles. "I know what you mean..." She holds out her left hand to Bailey. "You see that ring on my finger?"

Bailey looks down and looks in awe. "Oh my...Its absolutely gorgeous. I've never seen anything like it before..."

"That's the ring my Charlie gave me when he asked me to marry him. I haven't taken it off once since the day he slid it on my finger. I know he's gone, but as long as I have that ring, I can still feel him here with me..."

"He must have been a wonderful man..."

Ellie smiles. "Oh he was. He was one of a kind. He was never the most suave person, but he was always the most sincere..." She begins to chuckle. "He used to say the corniest things, but I couldn't get enough of them..."

Bailey smiled. "That explains a lot then..."

"Yeah?"

"It sounds like Cody and his grandfather were a lot alike. Cody can be pretty cheesy himself, but I find it completely adorable...And I know he means every word he says"

"Is my grandson pretty romantic?"

"Yeah, he is. He's always doing little things for me or surprising me with something. He may be unconventional, but I wouldn't want it any other way..."

Ellie laughs. "Sounds just like Charlie...So, tell me, what did he do for a first date?"

Bailey smiled remembering. "Well, our first date was kind of a whirlwind..." Bailey explains to Ellie about the teen cruise, the Hannah Montana concert, Cody vowing to get tickets and everything he did trying to get them, Hannah herself giving them tickets and the concert itself.

Ellie just sits there staring. "Wow...Now, what was that about a six month plan?"

"Cody formulated a six month plan to win me. He went about trying to impress me and prove himself to me..."

"Why didn't he just ask you out?"

Bailey sighed. "I don't know...I wish he would have just done that though. But, I can't complain. Everything worked out in the end, and that's the important thing..."

Ellie just shakes her head. "I love both my grandsons equally, but they can be so different. Zack seems to like living by the seat of his pants while Cody always wants to have a plan..."

"I know, but sometimes that can be a good thing..." Bailey smiled. "He spent so much time planning our anniversary and if was perfect..."

"Wasn't that the night you two almost got mugged?"

Bailey nods. "Well, okay, that part wasn't so good, but everything before that was so romantic...And Cody did save my life..."

"Yeah, I heard all about what he did..." Ellie smiled. "My grandson must really love you if he was willing to risk his life for you..."

Bailey smiled. "Well, I love him too...I like to think I would risk my life for him too..."

"I can see that. You two are just so natural and at ease with each other..."

"I know. With Cody, I can just be myself and know that that's okay with him...I just love being with him as much as I can..."

Ellie smiled. "So, odds are I'm sitting here with my future granddaughter-in-law, huh?"

Bailey smiled too. "I hope so..."

"Well, I can tell my grandson does love you and its obvious to me that you make him happy..." She pauses and grins. "Of course. I wouldn't mind some great grandchildren..."

Bailey laughs. "I think we are still several years away from that..."

"Well, you now know twins are a frequent occurrence in our family...so, I hope that doesn't scare you..."

"Not all...I grew up with nine other sisters. I'm used to a big family..."

Ellie nodded. "Good..." She paused to think and sip her hot chocolate. "I hope this hasn't come off as some sort of interview process. I just wanted to get to know the young woman who has my grandson so tightly wrapped her little finger..."

Bailey smiled. "Its okay. I know my Dad did the same thing to Cody...Of course, I don't think he was as nice about it..."

Ellie laughed. "Well, that's fathers for you...I can just see that you bring out the best in him. I wanted to know the person who had that affect on him..."

"Well he brings out the best in me too..."

Ellie nods and at that time Cody rejoins them and sits next to Bailey. Ellie watches them talk to each other and thinks. She knew Cody had met his match. But, she knew she needed to talk to her grandson. She wanted to make sure he knew what he had and wanted to make sure he knew to appreciate it. Most of all, she wanted to make sure he didn't make the same mistake his great uncle did.

_**To be Continued...**_


	39. Slippery Slopes

_Chapter 39_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

The rest of that afternoon's shopping went great. With still eight months still to go before they were scheduled to move in, Cody and Bailey had made a sizable dent in their list of things they were going to need. Pretty much the only major things left were furniture for the living room and a small dining room table and chairs. Of course, after carrying all of those bags, Cody could have sworn their was probably a couch and loveseat in there somewhere.

The rest of the week seemed to fly by with the teens taking time to spend with Carey and Ellie. The would have meals together and do other various activities together throughout the city. Of course, there was one event where Cody and Bailey went off to alone. It was on Wednesday afternoon that they made their way to Frog Pond at Boston Common. After paying their admission, Cody and Bailey sat down on a bench in the heated locker area.

Cody helped remove Bailey's shoes and was happy to see that she had worn thick socks as he had suggested. He then helped her slide on her new skates.

"Okay Bails, I'm going to warn you. I'm going to lace them up pretty tight so that your ankles are stable. I don't want you to think I'm purposely trying to put you in any pain. It will hurt at first at little, but you will get used to it..."

Bailey just started giggling.

Cody looked up. "What?"

"I was just thinking of the last time I tried something for the first time that hurt a little bit at first..."

Cody paused and then just shook his head and laughed.

Bailey smiled. "If this turns out even to be a fraction as wonderful as that, I just know I'm going to love it..."

Cody smiled back at her and continued to lace up her skates. Once he finished one, he moved onto the other. Once he finished that one, he looked back up at her. "How do they feel?"

"A little snug, but that's to be expected...You picked out just the right size..."

"Well, I was hoping I got that right..." Cody slips his shoes off and then picks them and Bailey's shoes up and puts them in the locker in front of them. He empties his pockets and puts everything in the locker too. "Hand me your purse and make sure your pockets are empty..."

"Why do I need empty pockets?"

Cody smiled. "In case you fall, you don't want to land on anything in your pocket..."

Bailey nods in understanding and hands everything to Cody. He locks everything away and pulls the key out and slides it around his wrist. Turning back to Bailey, he takes her hands.

"Okay, first things first, we're going to get you use to standing up on your skates. Are you ready?"

Bailey nods and lets Cody help pull her up on to her feet. She is a little wobbly at first, but eventually she learns to keep her balance on her skates. "I see what you mean about keeping your ankles as stable as possible...I could easily see buckling one if they weren't on tight..."

"You're doing great. I want to make sure you're comfortable walking on them on solid ground before we get you out on to the ice..."

Bailey nods again and begins to take tentative steps around. Cody follows her with his hands to the side of her waist ready to catch her if possible. Eventually, Bailey seems to get the hang of it and appears a lot more comfortable.

"Alright, let me get my skates on and we'll hit the ice..." Cody sits back down and quickly puts his skates on and laces them up tight. "Okay, take my hand and we'll slowly make our way over to the ice. Bailey nods and they begin to walk.

"Okay, first thing I want you to do is to get used to being on the ice. So, hold on the side wall for support..."

Bailey looks tentative now. "Cody...I'm not so sure about this now...What if I fall and hurt myself?"

Cody smiled. "I'll be here the entire time to catch you. And if that doesn't work and you do fall, just show me all of you boo boos when we get back to the hotel and I will kiss them better..."

Bailey smiles and nods. "Alright...Lets try this..."

Cody steps out on to the ice and turns back towards Bailey. "Come on...and make sure you keep your hands on the wall..."

Still holding on to the wall, Bailey takes her first step on to the ice. Cody places his hands on her waist to help steady here. "Okay, while still holding on to the wall, just move your skates forwards and backwards to get use to it..." Bailey nods and proceeds to do just that. She turns her head to Cody and smiles. "I'm doing it!"

"You sure are, Sweetie...Okay, I want you to watch me and see how I take off..." Cody demonstrates to her how to push off of your back foot to get forward momentum. He does it several times for her to observe. "Okay, before I get you to try, I should probably show you the most important thing...how to stop..." He demonstrates using the sides of the blades to create friction to bring you to a stop. "I want you to keep one hand on the wall and try to skate along beside it..."

Bailey nods and emulating what Cody did, begins to slowly skate along the wall. After a little ways, she tries to stop and is successful. "Cody! I did it! I skated!"

Cody smiled. "You sure did...You're a natural. Take my hand, we'll see what you do on the open ice..."

Bailey nods and takes his hand and Cody slowly brings her out onto the open ice. They skate along carefully, and Cody shows her how to turn when they get to the corner of the rink. Bailey slowly gets more and more comfortable on her skates and begins to skate a little faster.

"Cody, this is amazing! I feel so free out here like I'm walking on air...I could do this all day!"

"Good. I'm glad you are enjoying it..."

"I can see why you wanted to be a hockey player..."

Cody laughs. "Tell me if you feel the same way after you get checked into the boards a few times..."

Bailey laughs. "Fair enough...Maybe we could be the next figure skating..." But Bailey spoke to soon. She found herself stumbling and falling square on her butt in the middle of the rink.

Cody stopped and reached down a hand to help her up. He smiled at her. "Maybe we should have a few more lessons before we worry about going for the gold..."

Bailey was embarrassed but had to laugh. "Yeah, I guess I got a little ahead of myself, didn't I?"

"Maybe a little...but you did great for your first time on skates..."

"It was a lot of fun. I'm glad you taught me. I can't wait to do it again..."

"We'll just have to find us a place in New Haven to go...Come on, lets get you out of here and back to the Tipton..."

Bailey smiled. "You still going to kiss my boo boos?"

Cody laughed. "Of course..."

Two days later was New Year's Eve. One, it would lead to the dawn of 2011. Two, it was the day the Ellie was leaving to head back to Seattle. That morning, everyone gathered for breakfast one last time with Ellie there. She just wanted to spend as much time with her family as possible before she had to head out to the airport. Before she left though, she asked Cody to head back up to the 23rd floor with her and help her with her bags. Once inside the suite, she stopped him.

"Cody, do you mind if I talk to you for a few minutes alone?"

"Sure Grandma..."

Ellie smiled. "First of all, I want to tell you how proud of you I am. Getting a full scholarship to Yale is a major achievement..."

Cody smiled. "Thanks..."

"But more importantly, I wanted to tell you that you have a keeper in Bailey. I just want to make sure you know that..."

"I do...I plan on holding on to her for the rest of my life..."

Ellie grimaced at his choice of words. "Cody, you know you don't always have to plan for everything..."

Cody frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ellie smiled. "I'm sure you know what Carpe Diem means..."

"Yeah, seize the day..."

"Exactly. Cody, sometimes in life you have to seize an opportunity. Are you familiar with the phrase 'Men plan and God laughs'?"

Cody nods. "I've heard it before..."

"Well, take it to heart...Sometimes the best things in life come from pure spontaneity..."

Cody looked confused. "I'm not following you..."

Ellie sighed. "When Bailey and I were talking, she mentioned your so called six month plan...Why didn't you just ask her out?"

Cody paused. "I wanted her to like me..."

"Cody, that girl loves you, but what would have happened if someone else had made a move while you were planning? You could have lost her while you were busy planning..."

"But Grandma..."

"But nothing, Cody...Planning on how to get in to the college you want is one thing, but matters of the heart don't need plans..." Ellie pauses. "I want to tell you a story about your Great Uncle Mitchell. He had a girl he was crazy about much like you are with Bailey. He was in love with that girl and wanted to make sure their lives together would be perfect. So, right out of school, he took a job so he could begin to make money. He was determined to be able to take care of and provide for his lady. But, he kept working longer and longer hours thinking it would help him get ahead and garner favor with his boss. Well, the longer he worked, the less time he had to spend with her. Cody, she begged him not to work so hard, but he just wouldn't listen. He thought he was doing the right thing, but in the end, all he got was his draft card. And do you know what happened to your Great Uncle Mitch?"

Cody nodded. "He went MIA..."

"Yeah...Now, whatever happened to him, don't you think his last thoughts were of his girl? Don't you think he wished he would have spent more time with her? Wished he would have gone about things differently?"

Cody paused to consider what his Grandma had just said. "Yeah, I bet he probably did..."

Ellie smiled. "So, do you see what I'm trying to say here?"

"That while I should look to the future, I should remember to live in the present...That I should make sure I always put my relationship with Bailey first and don't let anything become more important than it..."

"Exactly...You have a wonderful girl who loves you. I want you to make sure you cherish every moment you have with her. The future is what you make of it. You can change it at any time. But the past...its done. Its set in stone. No matter how much you want to, there's no changing it..."

Cody nods. "I understand..." Cody hugs Ellie. "Thank you, Grandma...I love you."

Ellie hugs Cody right back. "I love you too...so much...That's why I'm just trying to look out for you. I couldn't stop what happened to your great uncle, but I wasn't going to sit back and let you do the same thing..."

"I promise Grandma...I'll remember what you told me and take it to heart..."

"That's all I can ask, Cody...that's all I can ask..."

_**To be Continued...**_


	40. Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

_Chapter 40_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Ellie and Cody returned to the lobby where she hugged everyone goodbye. She took her time in hugging her grandsons goodbye and letting them both know how much she loved them. She then turned her attention to their girlfriends and expressed to them that it had been a pleasure to finally meet them. She pulled Cassie into a hug and whispered in her ear that she knew she possessed a power that few had...she could make Zack listen to her. Ellie asked Cassie to take care of Zack and then said that while her oldest grandson could be a handful, that he was most definitely worth it. Cassie just smiled. Ellie then turned to hug Bailey goodbye. Like Cassie, Ellie whispered into her ear. She told her to take care of Cody and to just keep on loving each other the way they did. If they did that, there was nothing in this world that could get in their way. Ellie paused and then leaned in again. She whispered to Bailey. "Welcome to the family..." Bailey smiled and thanked her.

Ellie finally boarded the shuttle to the airport, while those remaining were a little down that she had left so early. Everyone was going to miss her. Not just her stories, but the sage wisdom she had emparted to all of them. Specifically, Cody remembered their talk just before she left. He knew she was right. He didn't want to look back and regret that he didn't spend as time with Bailey as he could. The future would take care of itself, but he wanted to focus on the here and now.

Carrie and the girls decided they wanted to look their best for New Year's Eve. So, they decided to take advantage of the hotel's salon to beautify themselves. Zack and Cody just went back up to the suite to hang around. The decided to try out Zack's new video game and set there and played it for a couple of hours. Cody was tempted to bring up where Zack had been sleeping the past several nights, but he kept his word to Bailey that he wouldn't.

Eventually, they both decided it was time for them to both get ready for that evening. Both decided on dress pants and a button up shirt with a sweater over top of it to compensate for the cold. Cody was just finishing getting ready in the bedroom when Bailey finally returned to the room. He turned to say something when he had to do a double take. Bailey notice him staring and smiled.

"What?"

"You look...wow..."

"Really?"

"Definitely..." Cody just continued to stare.

"Thank you...You look pretty good yourself..."

Cody smiled. "Nowhere as good as you..."

Bailey smiled again. "Well, let me change real quick and I'll be ready too..."

Cody smiled again. "Take your time. No need to rush perfection..."

Bailey walked past him and kissed his cheek as she went over to the closet to get the dress she had specifically brought with her for New Year's Eve. Once she got it out, she began to change to get ready. The entire time, Cody just stood there and watched. Finally, Bailey was ready...in a black dress with black hose and matching shoes. She checked herself out in the mirror before turned to Cody. "Would you help zip me up?"

"Oh yeah..." And he walked over and zipped her up. But he didn't step away. Instead he just wrapped his arms around her waist, rested his chin on her shoulder and continued to look at them both in the mirror.

Bailey turned her head. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just taking a mental snapshot of us together. I want to remember this..."

Bailey paused. "Are you okay, Cody? It seems like something is on your mind..."

Cody sighed. "I was just thinking. The past few days we've be doing a lot of preparations for our future and trying to make sure we have everything ready..."

"I know..."

"I just don't want us to keep looking to the future and forget about today...You are my future, but I don't want us to forget to cherish each day that we take to get there..."

Bailey smiled. "We won't..."

Cody nods. "If it ever seems like I'm losing focus on the present, will you tell me?"

"Of course...And I ask you do the same with me. We've got a long journey ahead of us, but I want us to enjoy every step of the way to get there..."

"You're right...And the step I want to enjoy right now is welcoming in 2011 with you..."

"Well, lets get going then...I can't wait to see what Arwin has planned..."

Well, Arwin had really outdone himself...with a little help from Chef Paulo. There was a brand new revolving roof top restaurant in Boston and the head chef was none other than another friend of Chef Paulo. So, there was a reservation for six under the name Hawkhauser for 8:00 PM. The group of six took their seats at a table along side one of the large windows that gave them a panoramic view of all of downtown Boston.

And dinner went very well. There were a few moments that could have been awkward, but Zack and Cody did what they promised and helped keep the conversation moving. As the night went longer, everyone was having a great time. In fact, the first three and a half hours flew by. That is when everyone went up to the observation deck on top of the restaurant. They could see the streets far below beginning to get packed with people eagerly awaiting the countdown a mere thirty minutes away.

As those last thirty minutes passed, the group of six began to breakaway into pairs. Zack and Cassie both leaned against the railing watching the crowd below growing more and more excitement. They stood there holding hands, and were feeling their own excitement for the New Year growing. Further along down the railing, Cody stood behind Bailey with his arms wrapped around her again. He leaned down and whispered into ear.

"You know what they say about midnight on New Year's Eve, don't you?"

Bailey turns to him. "What's that?"

Cody smiled. "They say you are supposed to kiss the person you want to spend the entire next year with at the stroke of midnight..."

Bailey grins and him and teases. "So, you're saying I've only got a few minutes to find that person, huh?"

Cody grinned right back. "Unless you think I'll suffice..."

Bailey smiled. "Hmmm...I suppose you will do. I've put up you this long, I don't think another year will kill me..."

"I'm going to get you for..." But before Cody could finish, he was interrupted.

"10..."

Cassie turned and wrapped her arms around Zack's neck.

"9..."

Bailey turned and wrapped her arms around Cody's neck.

"8..."

Zack wrapped his arms around Cassie's waist.

"7..."

Cody wrapped his arms around Bailey's waist.

"6..."

"Happy New Year, Zack..."

"5..."

"Happy New Year, Codykins..."

"4..."

"Happy New Year, Cassie..."

"3..."

"Happy New Year, Bails..."

"2..."

Zack begins to lean in for a kiss.

"1..."

Cody and Bailey begin to kiss as fireworks begin to explode behind them.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Both couples keep kissing until they are interrupted by a large thud. They look over and see Carey standing over Arwin who is sprawled out on the ground. Yep...He fainted again.

_**To be Continued...**_


	41. The Curse of Cody

_Chapter 41_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Cody and Zack immediately run over to help Arwin up. He was a little confused about what had just happened. They both just grinned at him knowing full well what had just happened but got him over to a seat to let him get his legs back. Bailey thought they maybe should get him to a hospital to make sure he was alright. Cody just smiled again and pulled her aside.

"Don't worry...He's fine..."

"But Cody, he passed out...we should make sure it isn't something serious..."

"Bails, this isn't the first time this has happened..."

Bailey looks confused. "I don't understand..."

Cody grinned. "Arwin always faints when Mom kisses him..."

"But..." It dawns on Bailey just what Cody said. "Wait a minute...you mean?"

Cody nods. "I would bet on it..."

Bailey turns and sees Carey tending to Arwin. Carey happens to look up and catches her sons and their girlfriends looking at her with knowing looks. She sighed realizing that she was busted. She just shook her head and turned back to Arwin. He was starting to come back to his senses and looking more alert. Carey began thinking. She had actually enjoyed the kiss if she was honest with herself. Maybe Zack had been right. Maybe she should give him a real chance. So, with that, she turned again and planted another kiss on him with Bailey, Cody, Zack and Cassie just staring in surprise. Of course, them breaking out in a round of applause embarrassed her, and of course, Arwin fainted again.

Once Arwin was brought back to earth for the second time, everyone realized they should probably be getting home before the third time was the charm. So, the dropped Arwin off at his apartment, and Carey decided to just end the night with a hug. The rest of the way back to the hotel, Carey remained silent even amid the knowing glances of those in the cab with her. She knew that if she wanted to, she could ask them some questions too but would respect their privacy if they respected hers.

The next morning, everyone decided to sleep in. No one had anywhere to be on New Year's Day. There would be bowl games to watch, but no one really wanted to watch a team from the mighty SEC destroy some pretender from another conference. So, instead, they decided to go see a movie that came out over the holidays. Everyone agreed on a movie rather easily...Little Fockers. After all of their interactions with their significant other's families, it was nice to see someone else deal with it.

After the movie, everyone returned back to the hotel. The teens had an early day the next day as they had the Patriots game to go to. Bailey and Cassie were excited as neither had ever been to a NFL game before. Zack and Cody were excited because the Pats and the hated Jets were currently tied for the division lead. If the Pats could knock off the Fins, the Pats would win the AFC East. And to make things even better...even more snow was in the forecast.

The next morning, everyone bundled up warmly and packet blankets to take with them to help keep them warm in the inclement weather. They made their way to the local train station to catch the special trains that went from Boston to Foxborough on game days. Carey had insisted they take the train as she thought the game traffic and the weather could be dangerous. The four finally made it to Gillette Stadium and moved on into the stadium. The boys would have loved to have tailgated, but didn't want to push the cold weather and snow with the girls.

Before the game was to start, the guys volunteered to go buy them lunch, and the girls said they would be in the team store just looking around. While browsing the clearance rack, Bailey saw something she couldn't believe. Picking it up and looking at it, she knew she wanted to buy it and at a price of $5, she knew she would. She showed Cassie who could only shake her head and laugh. Bailey quickly made her purchase and placed her purchase in her bag. She wanted to surprise Cody this time.

Eventually, the guys came back with lunch and they all found a place they could stand around and eat before they game started. As the clock approached 1:00 PM, everyone zipped up their coats, put on their sock hats and earmuffs, tied their scarfs, pulled up their hoods and finally put on their gloves. They were as prepared as they were going to be. The made their way into the stadium and found their seats. Ellie had gone all out. These were great seats about half way up the lower deck along the 45 yard line.

The game kicked off with the Pats deferring to the second half. The first quarter started off with a bang. The Dolphins struck first with a touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall. The Pats marched back down the field and tied the score with a touchdown pass to Randy Moss. However, by then, the weather starting getting so bad that it was hard to read the yard markers on the field. The rest of the first half was very sloppy with both teams trying to run the ball and not let the wind affect their passing games. By now, the blankets had been gotten out and each couple was snuggling underneath one. At halftime, the game was tied at 14-14.

The four left their seats to get some hot chocolate in hopes of warming up. However, that appeared to be a popular idea. They were fortunate as the person working the concession stand told the person in line behind them that they had just sold their last cup. After briefly warming up, Bailey, Cody, Zack and Cassie returned to their seats for the second half.

The second half got even sloppier as turnovers started to become a problem. But, neither offense could do anything in the blizzard. Finally, the fourth quarter arrived with the score still tied. A groan went through the stadium as it was posted that the Jets were beating the Bills by three touchdowns in the fourth quarter down in New York. Everyone knew then that the Pats had to pull this game out to win the division. If they didn't, the best they could do would be win the sixth seed and have to play every playoff game on the road.

The fourth quarter was winding closer to the two minute warning. The Pats had finally gained some momentum when it happened. Tom Brady was scrambling the try to complete a screen pass when he was blindsided. He went down to the snowy turf and wasn't getting up. And to make matters worse, he was clutching his surgically repaired knee. The entire stadium went silent. The crowd knew if Brady was hurt, their season was essentially over. And to make matters worse, they brought out the stretcher cart onto the field. Everyone knew then that their hopes hinged on the backup QB, who for the course of the season had only shown he that he knew how to hold a clipboard and scratch himself. Zack, immediately turned to his brother.

"This is all your fault, you know..."

"How is it my fault?"

"First, you injure Kurt Warner and cause him to retire. Now, you've jinxed Brady. Why don't you do everyone here a favor and go find Peyton Manning..."

The backup quarterback did come in and surprise of surprises, actually succeeded in doing decent. Naturally, the Pats were running the ball now, but at least he didn't fumble any handoffs. The stable of running backs managed to get the ball down to the 30 yard line with three seconds left in the game. The crown grew silent as Stephen Gostkowski came out to try a 48 yard field goal to end the game. That length of field goal would not be easy under ideal conditions, but in a blizzard, it seemed almost impossible.

After the Dolphins tried to freeze the kicker three times, it was finally showtime. As if in slow motion, the ball was snapped and landed in the hands of the holder. He quickly pulled it down into position as Gostkowski swung his leg. The ball seemed to have the distance, but no one could be sure about the accuracy. The ball seemed to be drifting closer and closer to the left upright. Everyone watched as the ball did in fact hit the upright and ricocheted inside of it and over the crossbar. Everyone on the field and in the stands stood up to celebrate the Pats last second victory.

After loudly celebrating for a while, it was time to head out of the stadium and back to the train station. Thankfully, the train was heated and everyone was able to thaw out a little on their way back to Boston. When they arrived back, they caught the connecting train back to the Tipton. After such a long and exciting day, everyone was kind of worn out. They even decided to call out for pizza instead of going out to get something to eat.

That night, Cody was already in bed while Bailey was still in the bathroom. Cody heard the door open and turned to say something to Bailey when he did another double take. She came walking out in a Patriots jersey with the number '28' on it that came down to her mid thigh.

"What do you think?"

Cody smiled. "I like it...I like it a lot..."

Bailey did a spin for him so he could see the back of it. And that's when he saw it. Where the name should be was "C. Martin". Cody began to laugh. Bailey turned back around.

"What?"

"I don't think Curtis Martin ever looked that good in that jersey..."

"Curtis? What are you talking about?"

"Curtis Martin was an old running back for the Pats several years ago..."

"Oh...I saw C. Martin and immediately thought of you..."

Cody smiled. "Its okay...I don't think I've ever been happier to be a Pats fan than I am right now..."

Bailey smiled. "I think you just enjoy trying to convert me into being a Boston sports fan..."

"Bails, if this is what happens when I do, I'll get right to work on converting you to the Celts, the Bruins...even the Revolution..."

Bailey laughs. "I bet you would...Besides, I got this for you, I just figured I'd model it for you first..."

Cody shakes his head. "Uh uh...there is no way that will ever look anywhere near as good on me as it does on you..."

Bailey smiles. "You really think so?"

"I know so..."

"Well, I do have to admit...It is very comfortable..."

"Then, its settled...Its yours..." Cody smiles. "I'm happy to just be able to enjoy the view..."

Bailey moves over and climbs into bed. "I really had a lot of fun today. I love being here in Boston..."

"And Boston loves having you here..."

Bailey sighs. "I can't believe we fly back to Cape Town in a few days..."

"I know. But, we'll be back here for graduation and we've both been offered our summer internships again for next summer..."

"I know. As much as I've love being on the S.S. Tipton, part of me is looking forward to being able to plant roots somewhere..."

"We will..." Cody smiled. "But that's in the future. We still have six more months to explore the world. I say we enjoy our remaining time at see..."

Bailey pauses and nods. "You're absolutely right. I can't wait to see what our last semester has in store for us..." She pauses again and laughs. "Hopefully, no more drama..."

"I'll second that...I think we've earned a nice relaxing, carefree last semester..."

"Think we'll get one?"

This time Cody paused and smiled. "Knowing our luck, not a chance...But, I know as long as we stick together, we'll be just fine...I mean, what else can they throw at us?"

_**To be Continued...**_


	42. Goodbyes and Hellos

_Chapter 42_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

The next morning, everyone again gathered for breakfast, but everyone knew that their time in Boston was soon coming to a close. This would be their last full day in Boston as they would be leaving the next night to head back to South Africa. As they sat in the hotel's restaurant, Esteban came in and found them.

"Sorry to interrupt, but a package just arrived from Mr. Moseby addressed to the little blonde peoples and the little not so blonde peoples..."

Everyone looked at each other wondering what Moseby was sending them now that couldn't wait a few days. Cody took the package from Esteban and opened it. Inside was four other envelopes, one addressed to each of the four teens. Immediately, Cody recognized what they were.

"Its our report cards..."

Zack sighed. "Leave it to Moseby to know how to ruin my last day of winter break..."

Carey rolled her eyes at him. "I'm sure they aren't that bad...Open them and see how you did."

Cody passed out the envelopes and everyone opened their own. The all pulled out the sheets of papers that contained their grades and their current class rank and scanned them for all the relevant information.

Carey was getting anxious. "Well?"

Cody and Bailey turned to each other to try to gauge how the other did without actually coming right out and asking. Of course, both hoped they knew what each other's said as both their ranks said "1st(t)" indicating a tie. Finally, Bailey said to Cody. "Trade?"

Cody nodded and the both traded report cards. The both scanned the other's report card, and if it didn't have the other's name on it, they would have thought they were looking at their own.

Bailey smiled. "Good job, Codykins..."

Cody smiled right back. "You too, Bails..."

Carey was now getting frustrated. "What does that mean?"

Bailey grinned. "Both straight A's and both tied for first..."

Carey exhaled. "That's wonderful news..." She turned to Zack and Cassie. "Okay, how about you two?"

Zack shrugged and handed his report card to his mother. Carey scanned it and looked up at Zack. "Honey, 4 B's and 2 A's...I don't know what to say..."

Zack smiled. "Not bad, huh?"

Cassie smirked at him. "Not bad at all..." But she laid her own on the table. "But not as good as 3 B's and 3 A's..."

Zack turned to face her. "What? How..."

Cassie laughed. "Its okay Zack, not everyone at this table can have 3 A's on their report card..."

Zack was fuming. "My best semester ever and I'm still the low man..."

Cody laughed. "Look at it this way...With both of you having a GPA over three, this next semester you both get one night a weekend without curfew..."

Zack perked up at that thought. "Oh yeah...good point!"

Carey smiled. "See Zack...I told you all your hard work would pay off..."

"Yeah, yeah...Alright, this is our last full day in Boston. What's on the agenda?"

Carey sighed. "Well, I have two performances tonight..."

"Its cool, Mom...we'll still have all day tomorrow to spend with you before we head for the airport..."

Carey smiled and nodded. Just when she was getting used to having her boys around again, they were about to take off and leave again. But, at least she knew that they would be back in six months. And after that, at the very least, Cody would only be a couple of hours away and not halfway across the world.

After breakfast, everyone headed back upstairs. Cody wanted to go ahead and store everything he and Bailey bought so it would be out of Carey's way as much as possible. He took the old closet that he had once lived in for a bit when he was fighting with Zack and organized it the best he could with all of their purchases. Once that was done, there was nothing really to do but just sit and wait.

Well, they would have, but they received a call from the front desk that they had a couple of visitors down in the front lobby. No one had any idea who it could have been though. So, they headed down to the lobby and low and behold, standing there in the lobby was none other than Woody and Addison.

"Woodchuck...Addison...What are you doing here in Boston?"

Addison answered. "Mr. Tipton flew us in this morning. Moseby said he was going to be flying us all back to Cape Town tomorrow night with London on the Tipton private jet..."

The other four looked at each other. This was the first they had heard of that.

"Well, that sounds good and all, but we haven't see London once since we've been here in Boston..."

"Aren't Bailey and Cassie staying in her suite with her?"

Bailey answered. "No, we were told we had out own suite while here in Boston..."

Woody paused. "Weird..."

Zack shrugged. "Oh well, are you guys staying here tonight?"

"Yeah, we have a suite...2415..."

"Cool, that's right next door to ours...lets grab your bags and take them up. After that, we'll show you around the hotel and then anything in Boston you want to see..."

Well, the rest of the afternoon was set. They gave Woody and Addison the tour of the hotel, and they went out and gave them a brief tour of Boston. It was still about 10 degrees outside with snow everywhere. Once back to the hotel, they all returned to the four's suite and just hung out catching up about everyone's Christmas and New Year. Once it came time for dinner, they decided to hit the hotel restaurant one last time before they left.

As they were sitting there eating, they all heard a commotion and looked up to find London storming into the restaurant.

"Finally...I've been looking everywhere for all of you!"

Zack turns to London. "Why didn't you just call us?"

London shrugged. "Anyways, the plane leaves tomorrow at 6 PM. Be in the lobby at 4:15 to be ready to head out..." London turns and is ready to leave when Bailey stops her.

"London...Would you like to stay and join us?"

London smiled. "I appreciate the offer, but I supposed to be heading out with Lance in a few..."

Zack and Cody look at each other. "Didn't he break up with you for that mermaid?"

"Well, he did, but we're just friends...At least for now" She winked at them.

They nod. "Well, we hope you had a good Christmas, London..."

"Thank you. I hope everyone else did as well...We'll, I have to be off. See everyone tomorrow." And with that London was off again.

"Well, at least we know London's back..."

"Yeah..."

"So, how do we spend our last night in Boston?"

Everyone just looked around not really having an answer. It was the last real night of being home and no one had a clue what to do. So, they just went back out into downtown Boston to see what there was to do. Being only 17 severely limited their options, but they managed to have fun. And soon enough, it was time to call it a night. Everyone returned to the hotel and to their suites to enjoy their last night of sleep without the boat rocking.

The next morning was basically spent packing everything up that they were taking back to the S.S. Tipton with them. Bailey debated whether or not to take her new skates with her not knowing whether or not she would have the chance to use them the next semester. Cody just shrugged and said he would take his if she was taking hers, but they would have them if they needed them. By noon, everyone was done, dropped all their bags off in Carey's suite and checked out of their rooms.

The next four hours were mainly spent hanging around the hotel and getting to see old friends one last time. And one of those friends who stopped by was Bob. It was the first time anyone had seen him since Barbara and Agnes had pulled their little stunt. Cody and Bailey in particular made it a point to pull Bob aside.

"Man, I'm sorry. I had no idea what Barbara was doing. If I had known, I would have warned you..."

Cody smiled. "Not your fault. You were a victim in this as much as anyone else..."

Bob nodded. "But, you know, maybe it all worked out for the best..."

Bailey was a little surprised. "You think so?"

Bob smiled. "Yeah, after Barbara, I met someone new and I've been with her since last summer. Maybe Barbara is like that movie. Once you date her and break up, you find the person you're meant to be with..."

Cody smiled. "I know that's true for me..."

"Same here, Cody..." He turns to Bailey. "And congrats to you two for finally getting together. I could tell then that Cody had a major thing for you..."

Bailey smiled. "Well, I have a major thing for him too..."

"And congrats about Yale too...I heard one of the teachers at school saying someone else was going there too..."

"Yeah, anyone I would remember?"

Bob paused to think and shook his head. "Sorry, I'm drawing a blank...If I remember, I'll shoot you an e-mail..."

"Thanks, Bob...I'm really glad everything is working out for you too..."

"I still can't believe its been almost six years since you guys first came to Boston. I still miss the days when it was you, Zack, me, Tapeworm and Max..."

Cody laughed. "Yeah, those were some fun times we had..."

Bob laughed. "Wonder how Max will take it that Zack has a serious girlfriend?"

Cody paused. "What every happened to her anyways? It was like she just disappeared one day..."

Bailey was confused. "She?"

"Sorry, Sweetie...Max is short for Maxine..."

Bailey nods. "Oh, okay...that makes sense."

Bob sighed. "I don't know what happened to her...Last time I saw her was probably the same time you last saw her too. Same with Tapeworm..."

"I really wish I knew how to get in touch with those two. It would be nice to know what they are up to..."

Bailey smiled. "Seems like you all had a close group here..."

Cody nodded. "Yeah, we did. With Zack and I moving around so much, we really never got to make long lasting friendships. That's probably why Zack and I are so close. We were all each other really had for so long..."

Bob nodded too. "Yeah, the rest of us weren't real popular either, so we just kind of banded together...But, I'm glad to see that you all have been taking care of these guys for me..."

Bailey smiled. "Well, somebody has to...Bob, you'll have to bring your girlfriend around when we get back to Boston in May so we can all meet her..."

Bob smiled. "Will do...I hate to run, but I have some other errands I have to take care of. It was great to see you guys again. And again, I'm really happy for you both...After Barbara, I think we all deserve a little happiness..."

Cody and Bailey both nodded and wished him well too.

Finally, 4:00 came, and Carey was there to say goodbye to her boys and essentially her girls. She hugged everyone goodbye and said she would see them again when they got back for graduation. Of course, Zack and Cody couldn't just let it go at that. The last thing they told her was they fully expected their mother to get Arwin over his fainting by the time they got back. She laughed and said she would try.

The shuttle pulled away from the Tipton and everyone turned to watch it slowly disappear from sight. They were all going to miss it. Instead of heading for the main terminal at Logan, the shuttle dropped them off at the general aviation center. The bags were quickly unloaded and immediately taken to be loaded onto the new state of the art Tipton Gulfstream. As they waited to board, Cody and Bailey did some quick calculations. When they departed at 6 PM, it would be midnight local time in Cape Town. So, after their sixteen hour flight, they would be landing at 4 PM local time in Capetown the next day. No one was real anxious to be on a plane for sixteen hours again, but at least it would be in the lap of luxury.

Finally, everyone was allowed to board. The plane had a capacity for 16, but so far their were only the seven of them. It was getting close to 6:00 and the plane had made no preparations to take off yet. London was getting annoyed and finally asked the flight attendant what the hold up was. She just smiled and said they were waiting on their last passenger to arrive. Everyone turned to London but she just shrugged.

Eventually, they heard the door to the plane closing and they all turned to see who the mystery passenger was. The individual walked into the cabin and smiled.

"Its good to be back with my peeps!"

"Marcus!"

_**To be Continued...**_


	43. The Friendly Skies

_Chapter 43_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

**Author's Note: I appreciate all the kind reviews to this story. I try to ignore the negative ones as the positive ones far outweigh them. In case people haven't noticed, the final arc of this story has already begun. So, while it may not seem like it, Ive been setting all my dominoes up before I can begin knocking them down. The final arc will contain 4 minor arcs that will be pretty much run consecutive.**

Everyone wanted to hear about everything that Marcus had been up to, but the flight attendant told them that they needed to take off first. So, everyone buckled in and prepared for take off. The plane began to slowly taxi into position before lining itself up on the correct runway. Everyone held on as the plan began to lunge forward and pick up speed as it hurdled down the runway. Quickly, it reached take off and begin to rise into the dark, winter night.

Once it reached its cruising altitude, everyone was allowed to roam about the cabin again. Everyone huddled around each other to begin to talk to Marcus.

"Man, you guys must have really messed up the ship if we have to fly sixteen hours to get back to it...How bad was the hurricane?"

Zack shook his head. "Not fun at all...Thankfully, Cody had some sense and made us all go to London's cabin to ride it out..."

"How scary was it?"

Bailey sighed. "At the time, down right terrifying..."

Marcus nods. "I hear they are having to totally rebuild the skydeck..."

Cody nods. "Yeah, Zack, Woody and I helped clear it. Nothing was salvageable..."

"Well, I hope you all got everything out of your systems last semester. I'm ready to take it easy and kick back...I just got my new album done right before New Years..."

Zack laughed. "So, you planning on spending your last semester kicking back and checking out the babes?" Of course, that got him an elbow from Cassie. "What? I didn't say I was..."

Marcus just begins to laugh. "I see you boys are just as whipped as ever..." He pauses. "And I guess I am now too..."

"What do you mean?"

"Couldn't help myself...She's a freshman at Emory and her father is big wig in my record company..."

Zack smirked. "Still going for the daughters of rich guys, huh?"

London looked to Zack. "What are you talking about? I'm the daughter of a rich guy and he never made a move on me..."

Everyone else just rolled their eyes.

Cody turned back to Marcus. "So, when do we get to meet her?"

"She said she would try to join the ship on her spring break but in Boston for graduation at the latest..."

Bailey followed up. "What's her name?"

Marcus smiled. "Melanie..."

"Awww...How sweet...M&M..."

Marcus sighed. "Yeah, I think that's the first thing to enter everyone's mind..."

Cody shrugged. "Look at it this way, you know a little something extra you can add to all of your gifts..."

"True...Anyways, tell me more about what happened last semester. Who did Zack get stuck with with me gone?"

Woody answers. "Me..."

Marcus looks confused. "Wait, if you are with Zack now, who is Cody rooming with?"

Bailey smiled. "Me..."

"Huh? Moseby went along with that?"

"It was his idea..."

Marcus was shocked. "Are you serious? Is he getting soft in his old age?"

"No, he didn't have much of a choice...It was basically per Mr. Tipton's orders..."

Marcus looked to London, but she just shrugged. "So, London, who is your roommate now?"

"No one...Oh, wait...Ivana!"

Marcus just shook his head and turned back to Cody and Bailey. "So, how is that working out for you two...living together?"

Bailey smiled. "Wonderful. We were planning on living together next year anyways, so we just got to a year early..."

"I would just think that living together you wouldn't have much room for...modesty..."

Zack mumbles under his breath. "Yeah, like that's a problem..."

Cassie elbows him again and glares at him.

Cody shakes his head. "It hasn't been a problem yet..." He turns to Bailey and winks.

Marcus shrugs. "Hey, whatever works for you...I do know we have about fifteen hours to go, anyone got any ideas on how to waste it?"

Zack turns to London. "What all amenities do you have on this bird?"

London shrugs. "Just the bare essentials...flat screen, dvd player, satellite TV..."

Well, with that knowledge, everyone found a way to pass the next several hours. Beyond that, there were four seats that faced each other around a table that they could play cards on. And a few hours into the flight, the flight attendant served them dinner. Except for London, it was by far the best airplane food that any of them had ever had.

About midnight Boston time, Cody and Bailey began to get tired. They were a little leery about trying due to their previous experiences, but they figured they would give it a shot. Being the first to try to sleep, they both grabbed the couch like seating on the plane. Of course, after so long of sharing a twin bed together, getting comfortable on the couch together was a piece of cake. Soon, both were fast asleep. As the flight continued on, everyone else figured they should try to get some sleep too.

Sometime later, Cody and Bailey woke up and immediately noticed the sun streaming through one of the cabin windows. They got up to stretch their legs and try to figure out where they were. Looking around, they noticed everyone else was still asleep. After both using the bathroom, they begin to look around for the flight attendant. They found her sitting in her seat reading a magazine. Once she saw them, she smiled and asked if they are ready to eat again. But, they declined as they were more concerned about where they were. She informed them that they are off the coast of western Africa and should be arriving in Cape Town in a couple of hours.

Cody and Bailey returned back to their seats and began playing a game of one on one gin rummy to keep passing the time. Eventually, others begin to wake up as well and the last couple of hours of the flight seem to pass by without event. The pilot got on the intercom and advised everyone to return to their seats and put on their seatbelts as the plane was about to begin its descent towards Capetown. Everyone sat and buckled up, and the plane slowly descended for the runway.

After coming to a landing, the plane taxied over to the general aviation area. Once at a complete stop, everyone began to stand up. They were all ready to be back on solid ground and out of the confines of the small plane. The door finally opened and the stairs lowered. Once outside, everyone waited for the their bags to be unloaded. Once they were, they found a shuttle waiting for them to take them back to the boat.

Traveling through the city, everyone recognized sights that they had saw the last time, but more so, everyone was anxious to see the S.S. Tipton. The shuttle made its way through the city and finally entered the port area. And in the distance, everyone could see the S.S. Tipton. The shuttle pulled closer and closer and finally stopped by the ship. Everyone got off the bus and again waited for their bags to be unloaded. Once that was done, they all began walking towards the gangplank. They were finally back to their home away from home, and everyone was curious to see the changes that had been made. More so, everyone was curious to how their final semester of high school was going to turn out. But, in some regards it was a sad moment as they realized they were boarding the ship for the last time as students of Seven Seas High.

_**To be Continued...**_

**I know, not an action packed chapter, but I did have to get them from Boston back to the ship somehow.**_**  
**_


	44. The Results Are In

_Chapter 44_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

Once back on board, they immediately ran into Mr. Moseby working at the front desk. He looks up, sees them and sighs knowing his "vacation" was now over. Marcus walks up to the counter telling Mr. Moseby it was good to see him again and that he needed the key to his cabin. Moseby checked his computer and pulled out a key. He said for Marcus to just follow London as his cabin was right next to hers. And with that, everyone agreed to drop off their things and meet back in the lobby before heading up to the new skydeck together.

Cody and Bailey opened the door to their cabin and brought their things inside. The both looked around familiarizing themselves with their old cabin again. Cody turned to close the door and noticed something.

"Hey Bails, check this out!"

Bailey turned back to him. "What?"

Cody smiled. "Look! A deadbolt! No more people storming into the cabin unannounced..."

Bailey just laughed. "About time..." She turned to check out the rest of the cabin. Everything looked the same except...well almost everything. "Look Cody! We have curtains over our port hole!"

Cody walked over to look. "Yeah, we do...what is that other thing on it though?"

Bailey looked again. "I don't know..."

Cody walked out of the cabin and back to the deck to get a better view. And that's when he realized what it was. He walked back inside with a smile.

"What is it?"

"Its a storm cover. It closes over the window to protect the glass in case of another bad storm..."

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Nice, where was that two months ago when we needed it..."

Cody shrugged. "Oh well, if we do hit another storm, we can ride it out in here now if we want..."

"All by ourselves?"

"Uh huh..."

Bailey smiled. "I'll keep that in mind..."

Cody chuckled. "See anything else different?"

Bailey shakes her head. "Nothing that I can see, but we haven't checked out the bathroom yet..."

"Shall we then?"

They step into the bathroom, but don't see anything at first glance. But then Bailey notices it.

"Look...We now have a hand shower instead of a shower head..."

Cody smiled. "Very nice...I can't wait to try that out..."

Bailey smiled back at him. "Later...we're supposed to be getting back to the lobby, remember?"

Cody remembered and they both left their room and made their way back to the lobby. Once everyone was back, they all climbed into the elevator and pushed the skydeck button. As the elevator rose, everyone felt themselves getting anxious to see what they would find. Once the elevator car came to a stop and the door opened, everyone walked out and slowly made their way towards the skydeck. Once they got there, they stopped and couldn't believe what they saw.

Instead of one staircase winding from the middle, there were now two staircases emanating from the far sides of the upper skydeck. Between them where the hot tub used to be located, was now a permanent raised platform for future performances and other such events. On the left was the new Eazy Squeezie. Zack immediately went to check out his new workplace. It appeared that Mr. Tipton had taken the opportunity to double it in size. Instead of several blenders, there was a wall of smoothies already being constantly stirred. Now, all Zack would have to do is go to the flavor the customer wanted and pull the tap. Zack immediately liked this new change.

Cody began looking around for the towel counter, and he spotted it at underneath one of the staircases. It was right by the door into the washers and dryers, so that made sense. But, its location made it out of the way. Cody couldn't decide if that was a good or a bad thing.

All along the rail were brand new lounge chairs with built in cup holders and massage settings that everyone was eager to try out. But, there was still one thing that no one had seen yet...the hot tub. Everyone looked around and finally Bailey spotted it. It was at the far end of the skydeck and was actually built into the deck. And it was much larger now. Instead of the small one they used to have, this new one looked like it could hold a football team.

As nice as the new skydeck looked, everyone still felt nostalgia for the old one. As nice as this new one was, to a one, all of them now wished they had just built it back the way it had been. But, Mr. Tipton hadn't, and they knew they were going to have to get used to this new one. They knew the adjustment could take a while. However, they couldn't dawdle now as they needed to return to their rooms to unpack their bags.

The next day, everyone was surprised with envelopes again. But this time, they were from the College Board...it was their SAT scores. Everyone had been happy with the scores from their practice tests, but actually holding their real scores in their hands scared them. Cody and Bailey tried to be as helpful as possible, but they too remembered the feeling of getting their scores. Everyone decided to open them together since the figured it would be good for congratulations or consolations. Even Marcus who had not taken the test due to him touring after graduation was there for moral support.

Everyone sat around looking at each other trying to see who would go first. Finally Woody spoke up.

"Screw it..." He ripped into his envelope and began to read the paper inside. "630 math, 610 critical reading and 620 writing ...1860"

Cody smiled at his old roommate. "Way to go, Woody!"

Woody smiled looking pleased with himself. "Thanks..."

Addison shrugged. "I might as well go next..." She tore into her envelope and read her her scores. "620 math, 630 critical reading and 610 writing...1860 for me too..."

Zack smirked. "Woody, did you copy of Addison?"

"No way...I was on the other side of the room from her..." He turned to Addison. "Good job, Sugar Bear...I guess that means we are a perfect match..."

Bailey turned to Cody and mouthed. "Sugar Bear?" Cody shrugged and mouthed back. "It fits..."

London grabbed her envelope and opened it. She tried to read it but wasn't sure what it was saying. She turned to Bailey. "What does this mean?"

Bailey took the sheet and looked at it. Her jaw dropped. "720 critical reading, 720 writing and 640 math...a 2080, London!"

"Is that good?"

"Its very good! I'm proud of you, London..."

London shrugged. "Well, I did have my face covered with that smarticle lipstick..."

Cody was about to say something but decided against it. Instead, everyone turned to Cassie and Zack.

Cassie sighed and opened her envelope. "670 math, 700 writing and 630 critical reading...a 2000..."

Bailey beamed at her cousin. "Great job!..."

Cassie smiled and nodded. "Yeah...thanks..."

Zack smiled at his girlfriend. "I knew you could do it..."

"Well, lets see what you did, Mr. 1502..."

First, Zack turns to Cody and Bailey. "And may I say thank you again to you both for giving us the old tests with the old format for practice..."

Cody shrugs. "It was the only practice tests we could find..."

Zack shrugged and opened his envelope. After reading the paper, he sighed. "No 1502 this time..."

Cody immediately sagged. He knew how hard his brother had worked. "I'm sure you still did fine..."

Zack looked up at his brother. "720 math, 710 writing and 770 critical reading...Only a 2200..."

Bailey sighed. "Please don't tell me you are complaining about a 2200..."

Zack smiled. "No, but I wanted to add some suspense..."

Cody shook his head. "Just think, you had it in you all along..."

Zack smirked. "Maybe, but then you wouldn't have gotten to do my homework for me..."

"Gee, whatever would I have done with all that free time..."

"Well, maybe next time that will teach you to give us real sample tests..." Zack pauses. "Wait a minute, why didn't you guys have scores like ours?"

Cody shrugged. "Last year, they still used the old scoring system...With us already getting accepted, we never had the need to retake the new one..."

The weekend was upon them, the final weekend before their final semester began. And as such, Moseby and Tutweiler had all seniors gather in the ship's theater on Sunday evening. It was to be a combination pep talk and breakdown of the final semester. Moseby took the stage.

"I would like to welcome everyone back for the spring semester of your senior years. I know this is your last semester of high school, and for some of you, your last semester of school period. However, we don't want to see any cases of senioritis. If you cooperate with us throughout the semester, there will be special perks for you seniors. If you don't cooperate with us, no seniors will get those perks. So, I leave it to all of you to keep your fellow classmates motivated and not let them ruin it for everyone.

Now, as I'm sure most of you know, the graduation of Seven Seas High takes place every year at the Boston Tipton Hotel. Mr. Wilfred Tipton has graciously rented out the entire hotel for you seniors and your families to stay there free of charge. Closer to the end of the semester, we will be giving you forms to let us know how many rooms you will need. Also, with graduation, there will be time at the end of the semester dedicated to practice and gown fittings. And of course, we will be naming the valedictorian and salutatorian of the Class of 2011. As of now, there are currently two students tied for first, but several others nipping on their heels. So, I don't want anyone to think there is nothing left to work for.

Your class is one I will remember for a long time...a long long long time. I have enjoyed watching you all grown and mature. Well, most of you anyways. I am looking forward to our final semester together, and I hope we can all continue to create wonderful new memories.

So, with that, let's have a great last semester and again welcome back to Seven Seas High. Classes start again tomorrow..."

_To be Continued..._

**Author's Note: I just learned recently that the SAT changed their scoring system. I still thought it was based on 1600 being a perfect score. Oh well, I updated it for this chapter and hopefully gave a plausible explanation why Cody and Bailey's real scores were based on that as were the practice tests. **


	45. Bad News

_Chapter 45_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

**The Dominoes Begin to Fall**

The first few weeks of the semester moved along with no problems. Everyone's classes were basically the second halves to the classes from the first semester. Cody and Bailey knew if they just kept what they were doing, they would have no problem securing the valedictorian positions. So, no senioritis was going to affect them. This is not to say it didn't impact others. Everyone else still did their work, but they weren't as motivated as they were before. After all, these grades shouldn't affect their college admissions at all.

The S.S. Tipton was on the move again too. After being docked in Cape Town for so long, it wasted no time in cruising through the Indian Ocean. Passing through Indonesia, it began to head north again...back towards Japan.

Cody and Bailey still remembered what happened the last time there, but they vowed they would not let it get the best of them. In fact, the ship was scheduled to stop briefly in Japan for Valentine's Day. The couple decided they would show the fates that they weren't afraid and would welcome the chance to celebrate in Japan again.

As Valentine's Day arrived, there was not all good news on board. Zack and Cassie were walking through the lobby after class when Moseby stopped them. It seems like they had both received quite a bit of mail. Looking at the letters in front of them, they realized they were from some of the colleges they had applied to. The knew it had to be acceptance letters.

With Woody still in class, they quickly made their way to Zack's cabin to open them. They began with their letters from Boston College. Both quickly opened them and read the letters.

A smile crossed Zack's face. "I got in!" He turned to look at Cassie but noticed she wasn't smiling. "What?"

Cassie sighed. "I'm on the wait list..."

Zack's euphoria was quickly gone. "Forget about Boston College...Screw 'em! Lets move on to our next one..."

Cassie picked up the letter from the University of Kansas and opened it. This time, a smile formed on her face. "I got in to KU!" But, it was her turn to look over to see a frown on Zack's face.

"I got wait listed..."

"Alright, the third time has to be the charm...Let's try Providence..."

Both opened their letters together. And this time, both of them had a frown on their faces. Both were wait listed there.

Zack tried to lift her spirits. "Alright, we definitely saved the best for last...I know we did..." They both held their last envelopes. They were from UMASS. "On the count of three...3...2...1..." They both opened the last letter and read it.

Zack sighed. "Conditional acceptance...To be guaranteed a spot, I have to pull a 3.5 GPA this semester..."

Cassie sighed. "Same here...So much for an easy going, laid back semester, huh?"

Zack shakes his head. "This sucks!"

"I know...I guess I just figured we'd both get in somewhere with no problem...I mean we both had good scores and our grades last semester we're really good..."

Zack was really frustrated now and losing it. "So, all that hard work for nothing...Maybe I was right back then...Maybe college and I aren't meant to be..."

Cassie turned to Zack in alarm. "Don't talk like that...Somehow, this will work out..."

But Zack was far too gone now. "You know who I really blame for this? Cody! I should never have listened to him. He kept telling me I could do this, and I actually let myself believe it. All that talk of me having all the potential if I applied myself was a load of crap. I should have known better than to listen to him. I was really looking forward to going to college with you and now its nothing but a pipedream" He paused. "Of course he said all of that...Everything comes so easy to him! I should have just ignored him and do what I knew was best. Well, no more, I done listening to him!" With that, Zack gets up and leaves with a concerned Cassie right behind him.

_Meanwhile_

Bailey was working her shift at One of a Kind. Fortunately, with it being Valentine's Day, London had agreed to let her off early so she and Cody could celebrate the holiday in the city. As she stood there watching the clock tick, a man came into the store with his arms full.

"Are you Bailey Pickett?"

Bailey nodded. "Yes, I am..."

He sighs. "Good, these are for you..." He proceeds to set a vase with a dozen roses and a stuffed bear and kitten kissing each other on the counter. "Please sign here..."

Bailey is taken aback by the gifts, but smiles knowing exactly who they are from. She quickly signs the man's clipboard and turns back to the flowers. She reaches in and pulls the card out of them. After opening it, she reads it.

_Bails,_

_Roses are red, Violets are divine, To you I give my heart and all my love, Will you be my Valentine?_

_Yours always,_

_Cody_

Bailey couldn't help but smile. Yeah, he was being cheesy again, but that was okay. She remembered Ellie telling her that his grandfather was the same way. And like his grandfather, she knew Cody was being completely sincere. And if she was honest, Bailey always loved when he did things like this. It was just who Cody was.

"So, will you?"

Bailey looked up to see Cody standing there in front of her smiling. She immediately walked around the counter and leaned in and kissed him.

Cody grinned. "Was that a yes?"

Bailey laughed. "Yes, Silly...That was a yes. I would love to be your Valentine this year and every other..."

"Excellent...How much longer do you have before we can get out of here?"

"London said I could close up early...I say we lock up and leave now..."

"Works for me..."

"Just let me drop these beautiful roses and the stuffed animals back in the cabin and we'll be ready to go..."

And that's just what they did. Soon, they were out in town just enjoying exploring and being with each other. They found a quiet, cozy restaurant and sat down to have their Valentine's Day dinner. Once they were finished, they began to just stroll around again taking in the sights, determined to walk the streets without any fear. As the sun began to set, they climbed a little hill to watch the sunset on the Pacific Ocean. Of course, being alone, they took some time for themselves to make out as the last remnants of the sun danced over the water. Bailey smiled and said maybe they should return to the ship and finish what they started. She didn't have to tell Cody twice. So, hand in hand, they began to walk back to the ship.

_Meanwhile, on the skydeck_

Zack storms on to the deck looking for his brother. He searches but doesn't see him anywhere, but he does see Woody. So, he marches over to him.

"Woody...Have you seen..." Zack pauses. "Woody, what are you doing?"

Woody is standing there with a shirt with a dragonfly on it while eating a dragon fruit. "I'm protecting myself!"

"From what?"

"The Dragon's Triangle. We are exactly halfway around the world from the Bermuda Triangle. And word is this one is even more dangerous!"

Zack rolls his eyes. "Whatever...Have you seen Cody?"

"Well, its Valentine's Day...He's probably out celebrating with Bailey..."

Zack sighs. "It figures...Here they are celebrating and I let it slip my mind...Yet again proof that he's Mr. Can Do No Wrong..."

Woody looks over. "Ummm...Well, there he is right now."

Zack turns and sees Cody and Bailey walking onto the deck hand in hand laughing about something. Zack storms over to him.

"There you are!"

Cody turns to Zack. "Hey, Zack...What's up?"

"From now on, stay out of my life, okay?"

Cody and Bailey are both confused by that. "What are you talking about?"

"Thanks to you, my future is screwed...So, butt out of it!" And with that Zack storms off.

Cody and Bailey turn to Cassie in confusion. "What did we miss?"

Cassie sighs. "We got letters from several of the colleges we applied to. There wasn't one we both got into, and as you can see, Zack's not taking it very well..."

"Ohhh...We're sorry..."

"You're sorry, huh?"

They turn back and find Zack has returned. "Yeah, Zack we are...I know this must suck..."

Zack explodes. "What would you know about anything? You...both of you have had everything handed to you on a silver platter. Full scholarships to Yale...An apartment together...planning your future already...It makes me sick!"

Cody is taken aback. "Now, wait a minute..."

"What? Please tell me...How with your oh so perfect life do you have any idea what this is like? You and your farm girl wouldn't no adversity if it hit you in the face!"

Now, this angered Cody. "Gee, Zack...Let me think. If our lives are so perfect, we would never have gotten attacked in Tokyo...or had Barbara kidnap me...or had three run ins with Moose...or had Josh tried to hurt us and kill me...Yeah, all of that was easy!"

Zack smirks. "And you came out of all of it smelling like roses. Face it, you both have had everything fall right into your laps..."

Cody is about to say something, but Bailey speaks up first. "Fall right into our laps? We've both busted our humps to get everything we have. We've spent the time studying when you've been goofing off. Its not our fault that we were willing to put in the work!"

Cassie joins in. "It sounds like you don't think we've put in the work too. The past two semesters we've worked just as hard as you two..."

"We're not saying you haven't, but it seems to be that you are insinuating that we don't deserve to have our hard work pay off..."

Zack finally answered. "Why should yours pay off but not ours?"

Bailey smirked. "Maybe because we've worked harder for more than just two semesters..." Cody laughed and continued. "Even when we were kids, you were always slacking off when I was working hard..."

Cassie was getting angry now. "Its not his fault he always felt like you overshadowed him!"

Cody was still laughing. "Oh please...Not this again! Zack would have slacked off even if I hadn't been there..."

Zack turned on his brother again. "Okay, explain then how your job with London fell into your lap, where you work one day a week and get paid way more than I do. If that isn't proof that you are the golden boy, I don't know what is..."

"Gee, Zack...Could it be because I was the one who helped London first start her webshow? And let me think, what were you doing when I was doing that? Oh yeah, you were playing that stupid video game with Moseby..."

Zack rolls his eyes. "Whatever...You two just stay out of our lives from here on! We don't need you two to take any more pity on us!"

"Fine! Stay out of ours then too!"

"With pleasure!"

With that, both couples storm off in different directions.

Zack and Cassie storm through the lobby and out by the railing.

Zack is fuming. "Can you believe those two?"

Cassie just shakes her head. "I know..."

"I wish they would have to walk a mile in our shoes and see what its really like to have to work hard and struggle...I bet they couldn't last 48 hours..."

_Meanwhile_

Cody and Bailey have stormed back into their cabin.

Cody is fuming. "Can you believe those two?"

Bailey agrees with him. "I know..."

"I wish they would have to walk a mile in our shoes. Maybe they would learn that we work hard for everything we have. I bet they wouldn't last 48 hours..."

And with that, the boat began to lurch and a haze engulfed the ship.

Woody, who was still on the skydeck, looked up and began to freak out again. "Dang it! The aliens are back!"

**To be Continued...**


	46. A Cosmic Shift

_Chapter 46_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

The next morning, Cody slowly opened his eyes and rolled out of bed. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he stretched and looked over. Woody was snoring loudly again. In his half asleep mind, Cody thought that he should have been used to that by now. He shrugged and slowly began to stumble his way to the bathroom. He opened the door and walked inside. It was then that he realized that he wasn't in the bathroom...he was standing in the hallway. And then it hit him. Why was Woody in his room sleeping and where was Bailey? These thoughts were forcing him to wake up and clear his mind. What was going on here? And that's when he heard it. It was a scream coming from the room across the hall. He quickly ran over and pounded on the door when he realized the door he was pounding on was to his own cabin. How had he ended up across the hall? The last thing he remembered was going to sleep with Bailey in his arms. The door opened and Cody saw something the shocked him to his very core...himself.

Zack had been fast asleep too. Unlike Cody, the scream he heard was what had woken him up. He looked around and saw Bailey with her back against her closet, standing in her pajamas screaming. Zack was trying to figure out what happened. The last thing he remembered was saying goodnight to Woody, but here he was in a cabin with Bailey. He sighed, this was all he needed. First he went off on his brother the night before and now this. Zack's thoughts were interrupted by the pounding on the door. He tried to calm Bailey before he got up to open the door. And then he saw something that shocked him to his very core...himself.

Cassie had been sleeping peacefully when she first felt herself begin to wake up. And then, she felt something strange. Someone was spooning her from behind. She opened her eyes and knew she had gone to sleep alone last night. So, who was behind her? She slowly moved out of the arms around her and turned around. She saw Cody. She began to freak out and jumped out of bed. What had happened last night? She looked around and immediately knew she wasn't back in her cabin. So, she did the most natural thing for her to do...she screamed. She saw Cody jolt up with a look of confusion on his face. Cassie wanted to say something but she had no idea what to say. Finally, she was about to ask what he was doing there when she heard the pounding at the door. She saw Cody try to calm her down before he got up to answer the door. And when he answered the door, she saw Zack standing there. How would she ever explain this to him she thought.

Bailey had been sound asleep too when she heard an alarm go off. She opened her eyes and thought what happened to her rooster clock. She shrugged and reached behind her for Cody, but he wasn't there. She looked around and didn't see him, but the bathroom door was closed. She sighed realizing he must be in there. However, the door opened and out walked Addison. Bailey was confused, and she asked Addison what she was doing. Addison looked at her funny and said she was just in the bathroom. And then Addison said something that shocked Bailey. "Cassie, are you feeling alright?" Bailey just looked at her questioningly. She got out of bed and was about to say something when she saw it out of the corner of her eye. She turned to look at herself in the mirror and saw Cassie's reflection.

Zack and Cody just stared at each other trying to figure out what they were seeing.

Cody spoke up. "Who are you and why do you look like me?"

Zack answers. "Like you? Why do look like me?"

Cody paused. "Zack?"

"Cody?"

Both speak at the same time. "Why do you have my body?"

Cody turned to look at Bailey...or at least what looked like Bailey but was really Cassie. "Bails, I know this sounds crazy, but I'm Cody..."

Cassie couldn't believe what she was seeing. "I'm not Bailey...I'm Cassie..."

Both twins just turn and stare at her. "Wait a minute...If you're Cassie, then where is my Bailey?"

"I'm right here!"

Everyone turns and sees what they think should be Cassie. "But..."

"Trust me, I'm Bailey...at least on the inside..."

Cody turned to her. "How do I know you're Bailey?"

Bailey paused and then whispered something into his ear. "Yep, you're Bailey all right..."

"Wait, how do I know your really Cody?"

This time Cody paused and leaned into whisper something. Bailey began to blush. "Okay, okay...you're Cody..."

Finally Cassie asks the question on everyone's minds. "What is going on here? Why did Bailey and I switch bodies and why did you two switch bodies?"

Zack paused. "Woody couldn't have been right, could he?"

Cody turned to him. "Right about what?"

"He said we were in the Dragon's Triangle or something like that..."

Cody sighs. "Not again...Didn't we convince him that his fears about the Bermuda Triangle was a bunch of hooey? This is the same thing..."

Bailey pauses. "But that still doesn't explain why we've all switched bodies..."

Cassie pauses. "Maybe it has to do with what Zack said last night..."

"What did he say?"

"He said he wished you...Cody and Bailey could live in our shoes for 48 hours to see if you thought our lives were so easy..."

Bailey paused. "Cody said the same thing...You don't think...?"

Cassie sighed. "I knew it...I just knew it...After all the talk of Cody living the same day 87 times and Bailey being possessed by a dead queen, I just new something would happen to me..."

Cody tried to get everyone's attention. "Okay, lets think about this rationally. We both said 48 hours, so 48 hours from last night will end Wednesday night. We can handle this. We'll just have to pretend to be each other until then..."

Bailey nodded. "Right...First thing is we will have to go to each other's classes and jobs..." She turns to Cassie. "I'm supposed to work today, but have tomorrow off..."

Zack smirked. "Well, Codester, I guess that means you get to work the smoothie bar today..."

Cody smirked right back. "And that means you have to produce London's webshow this afternoon..."

"Piece of cake..."

Cody rolled his eyes. "And it also means you have to take good notes in Government and Politics and Environmental Science..." Cody pauses. "Nevermind, I've seen your notes before..." Cody walks over to his dresser and pulls out a small tape recorder. "Use this and we'll get the notes off it later..."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence..."

"Look, it's Bailey and my dream to be valedictorian. I'm not going to let you screw it up. Thankfully, we should be back to normal before the test on Friday..."

"Anything else, great one?"

"Yeah, I expect you to remember that that's my body and treat it like I would. That means eating healthy, no junk food, full moisturizing, and going to the gym everyday..."

"Yeah, that sounds hard..."

Bailey sighed and interrupted the bickering brothers. "Look, we have other problems too..."

Cody turns to her. "Like what, Cas...err...Bailey?"

"Well, as we saw this morning, our sleeping arrangements have to change..."

Cassie was confused. "What do you mean?"

"No offense, and I don't care if its Zack inside, nobody sleeps in the same bed with Cody's body but me!"

Cody nodded. "I feel the same way...Look, why don't you two girls stay in here and I'll crash on Woody and Zack's floor..."

Bailey turned to him. "But Cody...we've been sleeping in the same bed together for almost a year now...I don't want to sleep without you..."

"Bails, I know, and I don't either...its just..."

"What?"

"If we don't want anyone else sleeping next to one of our bodies, I'm sure Zack and Cassie probably feel the same way..."

"Ohhh..." She sighs. "I guess you're right..."

Cody sighs. "And..."

"And what?"

"Bails, I know its really you inside, but my eyes still see Cassie...I would feel like I'm doing something wrong..."

Bailey paused. "I didn't even think about that...And that would go for kissing, holding hands, and...Cody, I don't like this at all. I want us to go back to normal!"

"Me too, Bails, me too..." He turns and looks at Zack and Cassie. "Same rules for you guys as well...We have each other's bodies. We have to respect them and the wishes of those who the body belongs to..."

Cassie and Zack both nod. They both knew what Cody said made sense.

Bailey paused to think. "I can think of one more thing..."

"What?"

She walks over and drags Cassie with her into the bathroom. Cassie protests. "What are you doing?"

Bailey opens a drawer and pulls something out. "You see these? Take one now and one every morning. That's my body. I have to take one of these everyday for obvious reasons. If you forget, well, you can guess what could happen..."

Cassie seeing what they are can only nod. She takes the pill and swallows it. Bailey and Cassie return to the main cabin.

Cody sighs. "Alright, everyone get cleaned up for class. We have a long day ahead of us all. One thing is for sure...we can't tell anyone about this...no one would ever believe us..."

_To be Continued..._

**Author's Note: This is my first crack at science fiction. We'll see how it goes.**


	47. The First Steps

_Chapter 47_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

The first class of the day went by without any real problems since it was a class that Zack, Cassie, Bailey and Cody all shared together. Fortunately, Mr. Ferguson decided to lecture that day on the symbolism in _The Lord of the Flies_. Cody and Bailey took notes fervently, but Zack almost nodded off. Cody had to keep kicking him so it didn't look like Cody was about to fall asleep.

The next period is what worried Cody and Bailey. They had to go off to the Geography class that they had both aced easily the year before while they watched Zack and Cassie go off to their Environmental Science class. While Mr. Johnson was ecstatic to get class participation from Zack and Cassie, Mr. Green was flabbergasted that his two prize students seemed disinterested and didn't know answers to what he thought were basic questions. So much in fact that he asked them to stay after class. Once class was over, the both trudged up to his desk.

Mr. Green looks at them both. "Is everything okay with you two?"

Zack nods. "Yeah...Fine..."

"Its just you two seemed off today and didn't act like yourselves...The Cody and Bailey I'm used to didn't show up to class today...I just want to make sure everything is okay with you two..."

Cassie nods. "Yeah, we...we just had a long night last night and didn't get much sleep..."

"Okay, its just you two are my two top students. I have high expectations for you both. If you say everything is okay, then I'll expect you both to be back to normal tomorrow..."

Zack and Cassie sighed and left the classroom. At the same time, Cody and Bailey found themselves sitting in yet another class they had already taken. Sure, they participated, but even they found themselves getting bored. However, neither expected the surprise pop quiz at the end of class. As the both walked out, the both grumbled that Zack and Cassie should be happy the both got a 100% on it.

American History went pretty much the same as English did as Cody and Bailey were able to take their own notes. Plus, Tut started on a tangent about how great her Valentine's Day was that lasted half the class. Everyone left when class was over, but Zack forgot something and had to go back for it. When he and Cassie walked back into the room, they caught Moseby and Tut kissing each other.

"Whoa..."

Moseby and Tut jumped apart and then saw who it was. "Oh, its you two. I thought someone else had caught us..."

Zack just stared. "You two are dating?"

Moseby frowned. "Yeah...You've both known this for months now...Why are you acting so surprised?"

"Ummm...ummm..."

Cassie tried to cover. "Because its still a shock to us that you two are together? Look, we didn't mean to intrude...Za...er...Cody forgot something. We'll just grab it and be out of your way..."

With that, Zack grabbed what he left and they both rushed out with Moseby and Tut staring at them in confusion. They immediately went to the cafeteria and found Cody and Bailey sitting together.

"Why didn't you tell us the Moseby and Tut are dating?"

Cody shrugged. "We promised them that we wouldn't say anything..."

"Dude, you should have told me!"

Cody smirked. "So sorry...We found out the day I was shot. Excuse me if I had other things on my mind that day..."

"This is huge..."

Bailey sighed. "No, its not...Let them be..."

"I can't...I have new ammunition to go after Moseby with now!"

Cody turned to Bailey and looked at her. She sighed and nodded. Cody turned back to Zack. "Kind of like how you two shared a bed over Christmas?"

Both Zack and Cassie just stared at him. "You knew?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah, but Bailey convinced me not to make a big deal out of it. It was none of our business just like what Moseby and Tut do are none of yours..."

Zack sighed. "Fine...But you still should have told us..."

"Why? So you could plot against them just like you were about to? Bailey was right. We didn't like it when people stuck their noses in our relationship, so it wouldn't be right to do it to anyone else..."

Cassie turned to Zack. "He's right..."

"As usual...Don't you get tired of always being right about everything?"

"Since when have I done that? I've done my share of stupid things..."

"Yeah, like what?"

"Well, the entire idea that I needed a six month plan was stupid. I should have just told Bailey how I felt and asked her out. Fortunately, it didn't bite me in the end, but it could have and I would have had no one to blame except myself..."

Bailey turned to Cody. "Really?"

Cody smiled. "Yeah...Grandma helped me see how dumb I was being. I'll be forever grateful that someone didn't swoop in and take you away from me..."

Bailey smiled. "Cody, no one will ever take me away from you..." She paused. "I wish I could kiss you right now..."

Zack interrupted. "Yeah, don't get any ideas...keep your lips off my girlfriend...even if they are my lips..."

Cody sighed. "He's right...but soon, we'll be back in our bodies and wild horses wouldn't be able to keep me from kissing you..."

Bailey tried to do her famous giggle, but it came out funny.

Cody tried to keep from laughing, but Bailey realized it too. "I want my body back!"

"I know...We all do..."

Bailey sighed. "I didn't realize how hard this would be. I guess I just never consciously realized how much I'm always touching you..."

Cody smiled. "You've never heard me complain..."

"I know...I just didn't realize how much it would hurt not to have physical contact with you. I just want this all over..."

"If everything goes the way I think it will, it will be tomorrow night..."

Cody turned back to Zack and Cassie. "You two better get going for your...our last class of the day. And don't forget about Yay Me!..."

Zack just shook his head. "Really, you make it sound like this hard thing. I can do it in my sleep. Now, you and the smoothie bar, I think I'd pay to see that..."

Zack and Cassie got up to walk away and made their way to the classrooms. Once inside, Miss Tutweiler came over and talked to them.

"I've got some news for you both...There is a rep from Yale who was in Japan on business and wants to meet with you both on Thursday.."

_Meanwhile_

Cody and Bailey have began to walk to the next class they have to go to when they are interrupted by Moseby.

"There you two are! What do you have to say for yourselves?"

Cody and Bailey look at each other in confusion. "What are you talking about Mr. Moseby?"

"Don't give me that! I know everything!"

"Will you tell us then? We have no clue what you are talking about..."

"I know it was you, Zack...I know it was you that put jello in the new hot tub! You've admitted to doing it before! Detention for you! For both of you!"

_To be Continued..._


	48. How Hard Can It Be?

_Chapter 48_

_Again, I don't own any of these characters_

_Detention Room_

Cody and Bailey sat in the detention room with several of the delinquents of Seven Seas High. Both were extremely frustrated being there without even getting a chance to prove their innocence. They turned to each other and began to whisper.

"I can't believe those two! They pull pranks and we get the blame for it..."

Bailey sighed. "I know...And seriously, jello in the hot tub, how lame is that?"

"Tell me about it...So much for Zack growing up, huh?"

"What about Cassie? She was a willing accomplice in all of this..."

"You know, maybe things would work out better for them if they didn't spend so much time putting jello in the hot tub..."

"I know...And we have to waste our time in detention because of it..."

Cody paused and smiled. "I do remember our last time in detention..."

Bailey smiled. "Yeah, me too..." She frowned "Because Zack busted us for wanting to spend time with each other..."

Cody sighed. "That's why I'm glad we have our own cabin now. Now, we don't have to worry about anyone busting us for wanting to be alone..."

"But being alone is all we can do now...I can't touch you. And as much as I want to kiss you, the thought of kissing Zack's face gives me the creeps..."

"Tell me about it. No offense to Cassie, she's beautiful in her own right, but I want back my complete girlfriend, the most beautiful woman I know...inside and out..."

Bailey sighed. "Cody, you know I love you, but you are going to have to stop saying things like that..."

"Huh?"

"Whenever you say something like that, it brings back my urge to hug and kiss you..."

"Sorry, Bails..."

"Just keep them to yourself until we are back to normal..." She pauses. "We will get back to normal right?"

"We have to...I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen..."

Moseby walks into the detention room, briefly speaks to Tut and the walks up to Cody and Bailey.

"I hope you two are regretting what you did..."

Cody sighed. "But we didn't do it...Isn't there something about innocent until proven guilty?"

Moseby just stares, never hearing Zack talk like that before.

Cody continued. "I mean, if you have evidence against us, don't we get a chance to see our accuser and provide our own evidence to refute it?"

"Well..."

Bailey sighs. "There is no evidence, is there?"

"Not exactly..."

"So, we were given detention without a trial...What about our Constitutional rights? Did you suspend habeas corpus without telling anyone?"

Moseby just stood there in shock. Since when did Zack and Cassie stand up and make arguments like this? Sure, he could see Cody and Bailey doing this, but not the two hooligans in front of him. But, he also knew they were right.

He sighed. "Fine, you may leave..." He pauses. "Oh yeah, these came for you today..." He turns around and leaves.

Cody and Bailey both look at the envelopes in their hands and then back at each other.

"Did you know they applied there?"

"No, not a clue..."

"Think we should see if they got in?"

Bailey grinned. "Why not...a little payback for us getting detention..."

Both open the envelopes and read the letters inside.

Bailey begins to chuckle. "She got in..."

Cody chuckles too. "So did he...Do we tell them?"

Bailey grinned. "Eventually..."

Cody grins. "I love it when you're devious..." He checks his watch. "I wish I could stay, but I have to be getting to the smoothie bar..."

"Think you'll be okay?"

Cody shrugged. "How hard can it be?"

_Meanwhile, the ship's gym_

Zack is sitting on a bench press, sweat dripping off of him. He reaches into the pocket and pulls out the routine that Cody said he went through every day. Zack wasn't even through a third of it and he was exhausted. Cassie comes in after finishing Bailey's daily run. She immediately noticed Zack wasn't looking too good.

"Zack, are you alright?"

"I don't know...Is it normal to have every single part of your...well...Cody's body hurt?"

"Well, I'm sure after a full work it, he usually is pretty sore..."

Zack sighs. "That's just it...I'm not even halfway done!"

"Huh?"

Zack hands her Cody's routine. "Look at that..."

Cassie skims over it and looks up surprised. "He does this every day?"

Zack sighs. "No...This is just his arms, shoulders, chest and back...Tomorrow, he has one for legs, thighs, butt and cardio. He wants me to run for an hour straight!"

"I didn't realize he did this every day...He never seems tired either."

"I know...I just want to back to the cabin and shower and/or pass out..." Zack takes a breath and finally notice Cassie is sweating too. "What happened to you?"

Cassie sighs. "I just got done with Bailey's daily run. Did you know that five laps around the ship's running track is two miles?"

"There's a running track?"

"I just found out when she told me..."

"So, you did a couple miles?"

Cassie sits down next to him. "I wish...Try eight..."

Zack looks surprised. "Is she training for a marathon or something?"

"No...Get this. She actually enjoys it..."

Zack shakes his head. "What are they? Masochists?"

"I don't know...but I need a shower now too...and a foot rub..."

Zack smirks. "I bet that's what they do. Get back from their work outs, shower together and then rub each other down..."

"Right now, I don't blame them..."

Zack sighs. "Babe, I'd love to give you a foot rub, but if I do, I'll be late for Yay Me!"

Cassie sighs. "I know...I have to get changed and head for One of a Kind..."

"Hey, if they can do all of this, we should be able to as well..."

Cassie nods. "What should we do about the meeting with the guy from Yale?"

"Its not until Thursday. I say we wait till we change back. Knowing those two, if we tell them now, they'll just freak out about it..."

"You're probably right..."

"Well, I hope Cody gets over me not finishing his workout. I need to go grab that shower..."

"Same here..."

"Think you'll be okay?"

Cassie shrugs. "I guess...What about you? Think you'll have any trouble with the webcast?"

Zack shrugged. "How hard can it be?"

_To be Continued..._


	49. This is How Hard It Can Be

_Chapter 49_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

_One of a Kind_

Cassie is standing behind the counter, wanting to be anywhere but there. Its not that the job seemed that difficult, its just she was exhausted. The sooner they switched back, the sooner she could quit running eight miles every day. The store wasn't really busy, and she caught herself leaning against the counter and nodding off.

"Wake up!"

Cassie jolted awake to find London staring at her.

"I'm not paying you to sleep. Mary does enough of that as it is..."

Cassie nods. "Sorry, London...won't happen again."

London frowns. "It better not. Just because we used to be roommates, don't think you have special privileges..."

"I understand."

"Alright, well, I have to go take care of something in the back before I head off to tape Yay Me!" And with that, London heads into the back.

Cassie sighed and tried to focus. She noticed a, well to be nice about it, portly woman come into the shop and begin to look around. Cassie straightened up and tried to look professional. She was suddenly wishing she had a stool to sit on. Her mind kept wondering how Bailey did this and never complained about it. Well, maybe she did, but only to Cody. Either way, Cassie knew she was not having fun. The woman pulled something off of a rack and walked over to the counter.

"Excuse me, Miss...Do you have this in a size 4?"

Cassie just stared at the woman. This lady must be delusional if she thought she could fit into a size 4. "A size 4? Pardon me, ma'am, but I don't think a size 4 would fit you. Maybe a size 14 would be better?"

The woman just glared at Cassie. "Excuse me?"

Cassie tried to backtrack. "Its just size 4's for everything here are more designed for...petite women..."

The woman's face began to turn red. "I have never been so insulted in my whole life!"

London comes running out of the back room.

"Is there a problem here?"

"Yes, your salesgirl completely insulted me. I was here buying a dress for my daughter for her 16th birthday and she became completely rude to me..."

London glared at Cassie before turning back to the woman. "My apologies. I promise nothing like this will ever happen again..." London grits her teeth. "Tell you what, why don't I help you and I will give you a nice discount to try to make up for it..."

The woman pauses. "Alright, but I'm not happy about this..."

London proceeded to help the woman find what she was looking for and check her out. Once she left, London turned around and glared at Cassie again.

"What was that all about? I thought you remembered we were actually trying to entice customers and not run them off like when I first opened the store. You've never treated a customer like that before. What is going on with you?"

Cassie sighed. "I'm sorry, London...I'm just having a really weird day."

London paused. "Is everything going okay with Cody?"

"Things with Cody are fine. I think we may have caught a bug in Japan. We just haven't felt like ourselves lately..."

London nods. "Alright...But you of all people shouldn't be giving people grief about clothing. I mean, you still dress like you picked your clothes out in the dark. Anyways, I'm off to film Yay Me! Try to be nicer to the customers..."

_Meanwhile, on the Skydeck_

Cody is running around frantically trying to get all of the orders right. Unfortunately, he had a problem with one of the taps shooting smoothie all over him.

"Hey, this isn't what I ordered!"

Cody turned to see a woman staring at him. "My apologies. I could have sworn you said strawberry..."

"I did...This is blueberry!"

"I'll fix you a brand new one right now." Cody turns to to the tap on the strawberry smoothies and fills up and new cup. At the very end, its spits on him too. He sighs and turns around and hands the woman her smoothie and she leaves without a tip. Finally, he catches a break and slumps against the counter when he sees Bailey come up.

"How's it going?"

Cody points to his shirt and laughs. "What does that tell you?"

"That well, huh?"

"This is the first break I've had in a couple of hours. I thought the towel counter was bad, but people here are all 'I want this, I want that'..."

Bailey smiles. "Welcome to customer service."

Cody sighs. "I know. I don't see how Zack does it without snapping. I've lost track of the number of customers I've wanted to tell to shut up and that I would get to them when I could..."

"Well, to be fair, I don't remember the smoothie bar ever being this busy."

"True, but with the old one, you had to make them all by hand...Can I get you one on the house?"

"Really?"

Cody laughs. "I'm sure I have several on my shirt right now, what's one more?"

"I'd love a banana fofana then."

"Coming right up..." Cody pours her one, and again is spit up on him. He turns back to Bailey. "There has to be a secret to this that I'm missing."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Sweetie. You've never done this before."

Cody nods. "So, what have you been up to?"

"Taking notes from the tape recordings Zack and Cassie took in our classes today."

"Did we miss anything good?"

Bailey shakes her head. "Nothing major."

Cody pauses. "You know, I've been thinking."

"About what?"

"About the blow up we had with Zack and Cassie the other night. I think I can understand why he was so upset."

"Yeah?"

"Every since we got admitted to Yale, we've been able to plan for our future with the aspect of it a certainty. Zack and Cassie haven't been able to. Its like they were building on a unstable foundation. Getting those letters had to be devastating. I mean, if we had been denied our chance to be together in college, I would feel like someone punched me in the gut too."

Bailey nods. "Yeah, I can see that. But still, there was no reason to take it out on us. It wasn't our fault."

"I know. There was no excuse for it, but again, I can kind of understand it. We've been challenged constantly over the last couple of years, but we've always overcome everything. To them, they are feeling like they can't overcome this."

"But they have. The letters we got today show that..." Bailey paused. "Maybe we should just tell them as soon as possible..."

Cody pauses. "Part of me wants to...but part of me wants to hear them apologize first."

"I can understand that."

Cody smiles. "I will say, it hasn't been a full day, but I have learned a valuable lesson."

"Yeah?"

Cody nods. "Yeah. That a single day without being able to touch you or kiss you or...well, its pure torture."

Bailey smiles. "Once this is over, we'll have to make sure another day like that never happens."

"I couldn't agree..."

"Young man! I would like to order!"

Cody looks over to see an elderly woman holding her money. He turns back to Bailey. "Back to work I go..."

_Meanwhile, in London's cabin._

Zack is just standing there watching London and waiting. She is sitting in a chair and looks back at him.

"Well?"

"What?"

"Aren't you going to set up the cameras?"

Zack blinked. "Oh yeah..." He went over to the cameras and began to arrange them. This wasn't so hard he thought. He'd had webchats with his Dad before. This should be easy. Once he had the cameras turned on, he looked back to London. "Okay, done..."

London continued to sit there for a few minutes before she sighed. "The intro music?"

Zack sighed and began searching the laptop for the intro music. He silently cursed Cody for not telling him about this. After playing the wrong clip a few times, he finally found the right one. He slouched back and watched London do her little dance before she sat down.

"Okay, welcome to Yay Me! starring me, London Tipton. Thank you for watching my show. Today, we will start with a segment of London's Mailbag. Cody, what does our first one say?"

Zack snapped back to attention and begin searching the laptop again. He had no clue where the incoming messages came from. He looked back up at London. "Ummm..."

London sighed and marched over to the laptop and clicked on one of the open windows before she returned to her chair. "My apologies, everyone. My producer is being an idiot today. Now, Cody, lets try this again. What does our first message say?"

Zack looks down. "Sherry in San Diego want to know if Cody is still dating the stupid farm girl..."

London rolls her eyes. "I thought you said your relationship with Bailey was off limits, Cody?"

Zack was surprised. "I did? Ummm...Of course I did. That's right, its off limits!"

London sighs. "Next message then?"

"Ummm...Denise in Davenport wants to know where Cody is going to college next year..." Zack looks up. "Well, Cody...I mean I'm..."

London interrupts. "What are you doing, Cody? You don't want people to know that! What is wrong with you?"

Zack sighs. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"Next message then."

"Laura in Louisville wants to know if you will post pictures of Cody shirtless on your website...Wait a minute! That's not cool! That's an invasion of his...I mean my privacy..."

London sighs. "I tend to agree...You know, forget the mailbag, let's move on to the next segment. Who is our guest today, Cody?"

Zack looks at her in surprise. "Guest?"

London just looks at him. "Yes, our guest. Who did you get to be our guest?"

Zack realized he is busted. Cody mentioned this to him, but he forgot. He had no clue what to do, but an idea came to him. "Ummm...Ummmm...They're right outside. Let me go get them!"

Zack rushes out of the suite and goes to the cabin next door. He bangs on the door until Marcus answers it.

"Cody?"

"No time!" Zack grabs Marcus and drags him back to London's cabin and pushes him into a chair next to London. Out of breath, Zack pants. "You wanted a guest, here's a guest!"

London just looks at Zack funny but turns back to Marcus. She begins to interview Marcus and fortunately, the rest of the episode seems to go by without any further disasters. When its over, Zack just wants to get out of there as soon as possible. But before he can, London stops him.

"Cody, what was that? That was the worst episode of Yay Me! since Chelsea was my producer. First, Bailey is rude to customers and now you looked like you had no idea what you were doing. What is going on?"

Zack sighs. "Long story, London..."

London glares at him. "Well, whatever it is, you and Bailey better fix it and fast!"

Zack went up to One of a Kind to wait for Cassie to finish her shift. Once she did, the returned back towards the cabins. Both were lamenting to each other the struggles they had with their jobs when they ran right into Cody and Bailey. Both couples just stared at each other.

_To be Continued..._


	50. System Out of Whack

_Chapter 50_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

The two couples just stand there, staring at each other. To Cody and Bailey, its obvious that Zack and Cassie look exhausted. To Zack and Cassie, its evident by Cody's shirt that he had an adventure at the smoothie bar. Finally Zack smirks and speaks.

"Ummm, Cody...the whole point is to get the smoothies in the cups, not on the front of your shirt..."

Cody sighed. "Duly noted..."

Zack laughs. "I told you it would be harder than you thought. I guess I just make it look that easy."

Bailey can't help herself and snorts. "Kind of like how easy you made Yay Me! look?"

Zack frowns. "What are you talking about?"

"There was no way I was going to miss it. I mean, what else did I have to do? You kept saying it would be a piece of cake. Instead, I think its you with pie on your face. That was an unmitigated disaster..."

Cody turned to Bailey. "Yeah, what happened?"

Bailey shook her head. "I'm not sure what was more painful...playing the wrong intro three times or not knowing how to read the messages or having to drag poor Marcus onto the show because he forgot to get a guest or...forgetting to turn the cameras off when it was over."

Zack sighed. "Well, if Cody had given me the list of what to do..."

Cody interrupts him. "Why would I do that? You were so cocky about it, why would you need my help?"

"Well at least I know how to use a smoothie mixer..."

Cody nods. "You're right about that. You've used a webcam before and have watched episodes of Yay Me!. But, I've never used a smoothie mixer before, so I have no problem admitting I didn't know how to use it at first."

Bailey speaks up. "Speaking of problems at work..." She turns to Cassie. "You were rude to customers?"

Cassie sighs. "It wasn't my fault. This large woman came in and asked for a size 4. How was I supposed to know it was for her daughter?"

Bailey is exasperated. "Ever heard the expression 'the customer is always right'?"

Cassie smirks. "Maybe I would have if I hadn't had to run eight miles before I went in. I was dead on my feet!"

"I do that every day..."

"Yeah, well, this was a first for me...You both have insane workout routines!"

Cody begins to laugh. "Awww come on, Zack. Don't tell me my workout was too much for you too?"

Zack glared at his brother. "I got through it...most of it anyways..."

"Well, I wish you would have told me about your little hot tub stunt!"

Zack looked confused. "What hot tub stunt?"

Cody rolled his eyes. "Right, you put jello in the new hot tub, and Moseby gave me and Bailey detention because of it!"

"I didn't put jello in the hot tub. I've already done that..."

"Exactly how Moseby knew it was you!"

Zack paused. "But I didn't do it. Come on Cody, you know me. When have I ever done the same prank twice?"

"Hmmm, let me think...the stink bomb in Mr. Awkapenny's lab?"

"I had to do that though. I had to prove to my peeps that I was one of them again. But beyond that, even back to the Tipton, do you ever remember me pulling the same stunt twice?"

Cody paused to think. "Well...not off the top of my head..."

"See, it was a copycat prankster. I'm innocent!"

Bailey pauses. "Then why did Mr. Moseby assume it was you?"

Zack sighs. "He assumes me...and now Cassie by association...are guilty of anything that goes wrong. He's been doing that since the days of the Tipton. And let me think, who was my partner in crime then?"

Cody sighs. "Fine...I just thought you had outgrown pranks like I had..."

"Do you even know what my last prank was?"

Cody and Bailey shake their head. "No..."

"Does the word ipecac mean anything to you?"

"But that was almost a year ago..."

Zack sighs. "I know..."

Cody pauses. "So, since then, how many times has Moseby falsely accused you?"

Zack pauses to think. "136...no 137. He accused us of putting rotten cheese in the employee lounge last week."

Cody and Bailey just look back in shock. "Wow...we had no idea."

Zack shrugs. "I guess my reputation precedes me..."

Cody nods. "Well, tomorrow should go a lot smoother. No one is scheduled to work, so we won't have to deal with that again."

Everyone nods. Cassie finally speaks. "Please say tomorrow is the last day we have to do this..."

Everyone just looks at each other, all praying that she is right.

Bailey finally speaks. "Well, I guess we should call it a night..." She turns to Cody and forces herself not to hug him or kiss him. "Goodnight, Cody. I'm really going to miss you tonight..."

"So will I, Sweetie...I love you."

"I love you too..."

And with that, everyone made their goodbyes and filed into the two cabins. Woody was already in his bed and was confused why Cody was there too. But the twins just explained that Bailey thought she was coming down with something and didn't want to infect Cody. Woody shrugged and turned back to the comic book he was reading.

The next morning wasn't as awkward as the previous morning. No one was happy to not be in their bodies, but it wasn't the shock it was the day before. Everyone did the morning routines of the other person and decided to meet up for breakfast before they began their day.

Everyone went through the line and brought their trays out to a table. Zack was about to dig into his breakfast when Cody stopped him.

"Zack, what do you think you are doing?"

"Eating breakfast?"

Cody points to the tray with a large stack of chocolate chip pancakes smothered in butter and syrup, several slices of bacon and sausage and a large glass of chocolate milk. "You can't eat that! My body wouldn't know what do with it. You would completely throw my system out of whack!"

Zack sighed and then thought. A smile crossed his lips. "Alright, fine. But you have to eat it then or you'll throw my system out of whack..."

Cody swallowed and looked to Bailey for help. She just shrugged. "We did say we had to respect the wishes of the person who's body we were in..."

Cody sighed and pulled Zack's tray over to him. Then he paused and pushed his tray in front of Zack.

Zack looked at him. "What are you doing?"

"Well, if I have to eat this, you have to eat my normal breakfast..."

Zack looked down at the tray with an egg white omelet, half a grapefruit, bowl of high fiber bran flakes and glass of skim milk and grimaced. "This is going to be painful..."

Zack and Cody both trudge their way through their twin's breakfast. To Zack, it tasted so blah and tasteless. Plus, he remembered the last time he had taken so much fiber at once and didn't want the same thing to happen again. Cody, on the other hand, thought he could feel his or rather Zack's arteries clogging. He never ate anything this heavy for breakfast and could feel himself starting to become bloated.

When both finally finished, both of their girlfriends could tell that neither looked like they were feeling well.

"Cody, are you alright?"

Cody just looked at Bailey with a pained expression on his face and shook his head.

"What about you, Zack?"

Zack could already feel his stomach beginning to rumble. He shook his head no as well. Both tried to soothe their stomachs, but eventually, it was too much. Both jumped up and sprinted towards the men's room.

_To be Continued..._


	51. In Retrospect

_Chapter 51_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Eventually, the twins' stomachs did calm down. But, both were confused why they got sick like that. Shouldn't the bodies they were in be used to that? Bailey quickly pointed out that it was likely psychosomatic – their minds had control over their bodies. All four managed their way through their classes again, but afterwards, no one really wanted to do much of anything.

Zack and Cassie found themselves in the gym again after completing Cody and Bailey's workouts.

Cassie looked at Zack. "I can't do this again! Physically, I may be able to, but mentally, not a chance..."

Zack nodded. "I know what you mean. If this is what Cody has to do to be in the shape he's in, he can have it!"

Cassie sighed. "Plus, I want my own body back. It may not be anything special, but its mine..."

Zack smiled. "I think its pretty special..."

Cassie smiled. "Thanks..." She sighs again. "How did we get ourselves in this mess in the first place?"

Zack paused. "Because I let my big mouth run again. I was so upset about us not getting into the same college together, that I lost it for a while..."

"Well, we still have UMASS, we just have to work to get there..."

"I know. And I know we can do it too. Its just..."

"What?"

"I shouldn't have gone off on Cody and Bailey like I did...I mean, it wasn't their fault. If not for them helping us out, we wouldn't even be in the position to be on a wait list or conditional acceptance..."

Cassie nods. "I know. They've worked their whole lives to get where they are. We shouldn't be able to jump in the last couple of semesters and think we were going to catch up..."

"So, what do we do?"

"I don't know...All I know is I have no desire to work another shift at One of a Kind..." She laughs. "I guess I learned that customer service isn't in my future..."

"And I have no desire to ever produce Yay Me! Again. Once I figured out what I was doing, it wasn't so hard, but London's viewers are creepy towards Cody and down right vicious towards Bailey..."

"Yeah?"

"And the idiot I am almost told everyone he was going to Yale next year. What if I had let loose a stalker on him?"

Cassie sighs. "Why did we ever think their lives were easy?"

Zack shakes his head. "I don't know, but they are more than welcome to have them back..."

_Meanwhile, back in Cody and Bailey's cabin_

Cody and Bailey are sitting there studying for the test in Environmental Sciences that they both hoped they get the chance to take on Friday. But, both their minds are elsewhere.

Bailey looks up. "Cody...We will get to take this test as ourselves, right?"

"I hope so...If everything goes the way I think it will, we should be back to normal tomorrow morning."

"I certainly hope so. I can't take much more of this..."

Cody sighs. "I know. I want our lives back too..."

"Cody, not being able to have physical contact with you is driving me crazy. And..."

"And what?"

"I feel so useless now. I don't have my job to go to anymore. So, after class, I have nothing to do. Ordinarily, I would just spend it with you, but without being able to touch you, its so hard..."

"I know, Bails. And if I'm honest, it wouldn't hurt my feelings if I never had to work the smoothie bar ever again."

"Why did we think their lives were so easy?"

Cody pauses. "I guess because they don't do things the way we do. But I think we've both learned that's not true..."

Bailey sighs. "Tell me about it. I don't like being Moseby's number one suspect anytime something goes wrong."

"Neither do I. And I know they've both been working really hard for the past year. They do deserve to have their hard work pay off..."

"But it has...We just haven't told them it has..."

"I know. And I feel bad about not telling them now..." Cody pauses to think. "Tell you what, we tell them as soon as we all change back."

"Why wait till then?"

Cody smiled. "Because they will be so happy that they will want to hug and kiss. And nobody kisses those lips but me."

Bailey laughs. "Good point..."

"And once they do, I'll be able to hug and kiss you..."

Bailey sighs. "I pray this is over soon."

The rest of the night was pretty ho hum. They had dinner together again, but neither Cody or Zack were anxious to push the other to eat something they weren't ready for. And soon, it was time to go to bed again. As all of them laid down, they were all anxious for sleep to overtake them as soon as possible. They all figured everything would be back to normal once they woke up.

The next morning, Cody found himself waking up. Normally, it would take him a few minutes to fully awake, but this morning, he immediately woke up. He quickly got up and headed for the bathroom mirror to see if he was back. Unfortunately, what he saw reflecting back at him was still Zack's body. He slumped and walked back into the cabin and woke Zack up. Zack wasn't happy to be woken up so early, but when he saw his own body looking back at him, he knew they hadn't changed back yet.

"What do we do now?"

Cody sighed. "We go tell the girls..."

Zack and Cody snuck out of the cabin as to not wake up Woody. The crept across the hall and knocked on the cabin door. After a few minutes, Bailey answered the door yawning. Immediately, she saw the twins.

"Are you two back to normal?"

They both shook their heads. "I'm still in Zack's body and he is still in mine..."

By this time, Cassie was awake and had joined them. "So, what do we do now?" Everyone just looked at each other but no one had any ideas.

Finally, Cody turned to his brother. "I'm sorry, Zack. This is all my fault. I should have understood better what you were feeling. I should have been more sympathetic to you. I know now that your life..." He turns to include Cassie too. "...both of your lives are not easy. After two days, I don't see how you guys deal with Moseby like that everyday."

Bailey continues. "Cody's right. I'm sorry too. You've both worked really hard this past few semesters and both deserve to have that pay off. There's something Cody and I need to tell you..."

Cassie interupts. "I need to apologize too. You both have worked your butts off and deserve everything that you have gotten. Maybe if Zack and I have begun to work hard earlier, we wouldn't be in the position we are now. I'm truly sorry."

Zack sighs. "And I'm sorry too. I thought everything just came easy to you both. I was wrong. You guys don't have it easy, you just make it look that way. You both work really hard. Cassie's right. I should have gotten off my butt earlier and worked harder..."

Cody smiles at his brother. "Well, at least I think we've all learned something..."

Before Cody can continue, the boat lurches again knocking everyone to the floor.

_To be Continued..._


	52. Return to the Status Quo

_Chapter 52_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Everyone was on the floor after having been knocked down. After waiting to make sure there were no aftershocks, everyone slowly began to rise back to their feet.

Zack was the first to say something. "What was that? Did we just hit something?" He turned to the girls and then finally to his brother. But something was different. Cody now looked like...Cody. "Bro! You're you again!"

Cody looked down and then back over at Zack. It was true. He was looking at his twin brother again. He then turned to the mirror and was never so happy so see his own reflection. "I am me again!"

He turned back to the girls, specifically Bailey. "Bails? Are you back too?"

Bailey turned to Cody or who she hoped was Cody again. "You're back in your body?"

"Yeah, are you?"

Bailey turned to the mirror, and she too saw her own reflection. Tears began to form in her eyes. She turned back to Cody and could only nod. Quickly, she ran and through herself into his arms and he just held on to her as tightly as he could.

Zack smiled and turned to Cassie. "I take it that means you're back too?"

Cassie could only smile and nod. She too ran and through herself into Zack's arms. Both couples just stood there and held each other for the longest time. Eventually, they both pulled apart, but neither broke contact with their significant other.

Cody spoke up. "Okay, pact time. From now on, we never mention this to anyone, and we never say anything that could give the cosmos or the fates reason to think we want to switch again...And, no more unnecessary bickering. As we just saw, it can only cause problems."

Everyone quickly nodded and agreed.

Cody turned to Bailey before turning back to Zack and Cassie. "As Bailey was saying, there is something we need to tell you..."

Zack interrupted. "No, us first. There is a guy from Yale coming on board today to meet with you both..."

Cody and Bailey just looked at Zack and Cassie. "What?"

"Yeah...Tut told us a couple of days ago. We wanted to wait to tell you after we switched back because we thought you two would freak out..."

Cody and Bailey just looked at each other and tried to stay calm. "Alright. What time and where?"

"2:30 in Conference Room B...Look, we know we should have told you earlier..."

Bailey sighs. "Its okay. We have something to tell you two as well..."

"What is it?"

Bailey looks to Cody and he nods. While Bailey walks over to her backpack, Cody slips across the hall quickly. When he returns, they both hand envelopes to Zack and Cassie. "These came the other day..."

Both Zack and Cassie look confused that the envelopes are already open. "You opened them? Isn't that a federal offense? You know, tampering with the mail..."

Cody sighs. "We got them while we were in detention. Let's just say that at the time, we were a little upset..."

Zack and Cassie both pull the letters out of the envelope and quickly read them. They both look up at Cody and Bailey who are smiling at them. Then, they turn to each other and at the same time. "I got in!" They immediately pull each other into another hug.

"Congratulations. You both got accepted to the same college. And a pretty good one at that..."

Cody turned to Bailey and smiled. "Think we'll be able to handle them being about an hour away?"

Bailey laughed. "I think it'll be okay..."

Zack was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Zack, New Haven and Storrs are only about an hour and 15 minutes apart..."

Zack still wasn't catching on. "Storrs?"

Cody sighed. "Yeah, Storrs as in Storrs, Connecticut as in where UCONN is located..."

Zack and Cassie just look at each other again. "Sorry, I think we're still getting used to the idea that we both got into the same school..."

Cassie turns to Cody and Bailey. "Will we really be that close?"

Bailey smiled. "Yeah. Hartford is about halfway in between us. We could even meet there every so often..."

Zack just shakes his head. "UCONN..." He pauses and smiles. "That means BCS football!"

Cody rolls his eyes. "Barely. Its the Big East. Add seven guys to you, me, Marcus and Woody, and we could win that conference..."

Zack smiled. "I don't care. Right now, nothing could wipe this smile off of my face..."

"How about the fact that we have class in an hour?"

Zack sighed. "You couldn't let me have my moment, could you?"

Bailey laughed. "Well, if it makes you feel better, you both aced you Geography quiz and your teachers are really happy with your class participation the past couple of days..."

Zack and Cassie both groaned. "Gee...thanks..."

Cody checked the clock again. "I hate to break up the party, but we all need to get ready for class, and I'm more than ready to move back into my cabin again...Besides, I bet there are a few people who would love to get phone calls from you both to learn the good news..."

Zack nodded. "You're right. We need to call Mom, Dad and Sarah..."

With that, Zack and Cassie both leave the cabin, excitedly talking with each other.

Bailey turns back to Cody and hugs him again. "I'm so glad to have you back here again."

Cody smiles. "Its good to be back...and to feel those arms around me again."

Bailey smiles. "Want to know what else I've missed?"

"What's that?"

"This..." She leans up and kisses him.

Cody grins. "Its good to be missed...What say you and I conserve water this morning and take a shower together?"

Bailey grins "Sounds good to me..."

"Did you know I actually had to clean Woody and Zack's shower? I felt like it was a large petri dish..."

Bailey grimaces. "That bad, huh?"

Cody nods. "Yeah...But you know what? I'll never have to use it again because I'm back here where I belong..."

"You sure are..." And with that Bailey leads Cody into the bathroom. The door closes and giggling can be heard coming from behind it.

Later that afternoon, Cody and Bailey find themselves sitting in Conference Room B. To make a good impression, the both dressed semi-formal yet conservative. An older gentleman finally comes into room carrying his briefcase and takes a seat. Once he organizes himself, he looks up to Cody and Bailey and smiles.

"Thank you for meeting me, I'm Dr. James Anderson, Associate Dean at Yale. I take it you are Cody Martin and Bailey Pickett?"

Both nod. "Yes, sir."

"Good, its good to finally meet you both and to welcome you both to the Yale family. We look forward to you officially joining us in August."

"Thank you, Cody and I are both pretty excited about it too."

"Have you had a chance to visit the campus?"

"Yes, sir. Bailey and I visited last summer and toured the campus. We even found an apartment to rent as well."

Dr. Anderson nods. "Very good. Its always advantageous to be ahead of the game. Well, I bet you are both wondering why I wanted to meet with you both today. I admit, a meeting like this is not the norm, but then again, you both have been awarded full academic scholarships."

Bailey looks to Cody and then back to Dr. Anderson. She knew better than to tell him that they had just found out this morning after having switched bodies with her cousin and Cody's brother. "You could say our curiosity has been piqued."

Dr. Anderson nods. "Well, unbeknownst to you, you both were nominated to be considered for the Albright Award. It is an honor bestowed to an incoming freshman who we feel best fits the definition of what the ideal Yale student should be."

Cody and Bailey look at each other in surprise. "We had no idea..."

Dr. Anderson smiled. "Well, you wouldn't. Students have to be nominated by a current Yale faculty member. And in your case, it was Dr. William Thomas..." He pauses. "But I believe you know his wife Jo better."

"Yeah, she's going to be our landlord..."

"Anyways, once nominated, a packet was sent here to your high school where you had to have a current teacher volunteer to present your case to be awarded the Albright. And this was done by a Miss Emma Tutweiler."

"Wow...We'll have to be sure to thank her."

"Ordinarily, we go to the high schools of our nominees and conduct interviews in person. And we were scheduled to meet you last November, but due to Hurricane Igor, it had to be canceled."

"So, is this just a formality? Having to meet all candidates before you can officially name the winner?"

Dr. Anderson begins to laugh. "Not hardly. We wanted to meet you both as after the applications, you were both high on our list. If I may, your backgrounds are simply amazing. The city boy from Boston and the farm girl from Kansas. Yet, together, you've traveled the world and embraced other cultures. You've had a hands on education while others simply get theirs from a book. That's what we look for. Someone who is willing to go the distance to see truth and knowledge."

Bailey paused. "Okay, I think you've lost us..."

"Well, beyond coming here to officially welcome you to Yale, I wanted to congratulate you both on becoming the first ever joint winners of the Albright Award..."

Cody and Bailey just look on in complete shock. "Huh?"

Dr. Anderson laughs again. "I know this must come as a bit of a surprise, but you won. Your teacher, Miss Tutweiler said that as individuals, you were both strong candidates, but that as a team, you were unbeatable. And, we believe she is correct."

"Thank you, Dr. Anderson. This is truly a great honor."

"Well, just prove us right. And when you arrive in New Haven, we'll work on setting up the grant for you."

"The grant?"

Dr. Anderson smiles. "Yes. If I may admit, you guys are robbing us blind. Beyond your scholarships, you're being jointly awarded a grant in the same amount of normal tuition. Normally, the Albright serves as another full scholarship, but in rare instances like in your case, the award winner has already received a full scholarship. In those cases, the Albright winner essentially doubles up and receives the amount as another stipend. So, you both are jointly being awarded an annual stipend equal to a year's tuition. Just for reference, that amount for this academic year was $49,800. Of course, we do expect it to be higher next year..."

Cody and Bailey just sit there with their eyes bulging and their mouths wide open.

_To be Continued..._


	53. Planning Ahead

_Chapter 53_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

After their meeting with Dr. Anderson, Cody and Bailey made a beeline for Miss Tutweiler. They both thanked her profusely for nominating them for the award and let her know that they had won. She just smiled and said that they had earned it. After thanking her again and asking her to thank her aunt and uncle, Cody and Bailey walked back to their cabin now knowing that their emergency fund was going to be quite large now.

Kurt and Carey had both received two phone call that left them both smiling that day. Kurt was ecstatic that Zack and Cassie had gotten into the same college together. And to boot, his brother and Bailey would only be an hour away if needed. And then he got the call about the Albright Award. Its seems both his sons had had big days, and he couldn't have been prouder of them both. Carey was happy for a different reason. Both of her babies were going to be closer to her again. She knew she would be able to drive a couple of hours and see them instead of having to fly halfway across the world. And beyond that, she was very proud of them both.

Joe and Maggie Pickett were extremely happy as well. Beyond his pride in his daughter, Joe's concern about their finances was relieved. However, it did reinforce to him that Bailey could now survive on her own without needing him.

The next few days on board allowed things to return to normal somewhat. Cody and Bailey had spent that night with their priorities in the right place. Instead of celebrating their award, they spent it in their cabin studying for their Environmental Science test the next day. After such intense studying, both breezed right through the actual examination. If they kept up what they were doing, the valedictorian spots would be in the bag.

The ship itself had left Japan and was about to begin its final voyage across the Pacific. But before it did, it was going to head south towards the Marianas Islands and specifically Guam. As part of the voyage, the ship was going to pass the uninhabited island of Iwo Jima.

A few days before they were to arrive in Tumon, the center of Guam tourism, Cody found himself sitting in the cabin looking at his calendar. He specifically looked at the date circled in red that was soon approaching. He sat back to think. Their anniversary last year had certainly been a memorable one, and he wanted to make sure this years was as well. Well, without the attempted mugging he hoped. As he sat there thinking, Bailey returned back to the cabin from work. She smiled seeing her boyfriend deep in thought about something, and then noticed the open calendar lying on the desk next to him. Her eyes immediately went to the date circled in red.

"What are you thinking about?"

Cody immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turned to see Bailey. He smiled. "Oh, just doing some brainstorming..."

"About our anniversary?"

Cody looked down to see the calendar next to him and realized he was busted. "Something like that..."

Bailey smiled. "Well, don't..."

Cody looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"You planned our anniversary last year and surprised me. This year, its my turn."

"But..."

"No buts...Its my turn to plan a surprise for you. Besides, I still owe you for Thanksgiving too..."

"Bails, this isn't about turns. I just wanted to do something to make up for last year."

Bailey walks over and sits down on Cody's lap. "Cody, last year was one of the most romantic nights of my life..."

Cody sighs. "Well, it started off that way..."

Bailey smiled. "And it ended that way too. You risked your life for me. To me, that was very romantic. You showed me how much you loved me. This year, its my turn to show you how much I love you."

"So, I can't do anything?"

Bailey laughs. "I know better than to say that. I'm just saying leave our anniversary celebration up to me. I've already got it pretty much planned..."

Cody looked surprised. "And when did you do all of this?"

"I started over Christmas break and then did some things when I was Cassie to keep busy. I did some research and planning...I just have to finalize a few things."

"If you say so..."

"I do. This is my show this year."

Cody smiled. "Okay. I will await your instructions then."

Bailey smiled. "Thank you. So, what else have you been up to while I was working?"

Cody points to his laptop. "I did some research on cars. We told Dad we would do our due diligence."

"Come up with anything?"

"Well, the thought of us whipping around the coast in a nice convertible sounded good to me..."

Bailey giggles. "It sure does..."

Cody sighed. "But then I realized how impractical that would be in a New England winter..."

"True..."

"So, then I began to think of something that has four wheel drive or at the very least front wheel drive..."

Bailey nods. "Probably a good idea..."

"And then I was thinking about everything we learned in Environmental Sciences and our report we did on hybrids..."

Bailey smiled. "I was hoping we might consider a hybrid. They get much better mileage and are better for the environment..."

Cody smiled. "I thought you would like that. Anyways, a hybrid with four wheel drive severely cuts down our options. And that doesn't even bring in the question of do we want a car, a truck, a crossover or a SUV..."

Bailey paused. "I don't think I'd want a truck or a crossover. So, my opinion is between a car and a SUV."

Cody nodded. "I was thinking along the same lines. A SUV would give us the additional cargo space and we'd have plenty of room in the back to haul our stuff to New Haven..."

Bailey nodded. "I like that, but I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be driving one of those big monstrosities..."

"I agree, that's why I have a list here of compact and midsize hybrid SUVs"

"What about consumer reports and crash test ratings?"

Cody moves the mouse cursor over another window he has open. "Right here."

Cody and Bailey peruse through the options and discuss what they both want.

"So, are we in agreement?"

Bailey smiled. "I think so. We just have to tell your Dad...and pick out the color we want..."

Cody smiled. "No pink."

Bailey laughed. "Awww, Codykins...Okay, no pink. How about we show our school spirit and go with navy blue?"

Cody nods. "That could work...And I think we should request heated seats too. We'll use them at least six months a year..."

"If you say so..."

Cody sat back and thought. "Bails, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Well, with our finances more secure now, I was thinking...What would you think of us planning a vacation for August before we left for school?"

"Just us two or for all of us?"

"I considered that, but I wasn't sure. What do you think?"

Bailey paused. "Well, while time alone with you is always preferable to me, we'll have plenty of that in New Haven. But, this could be one last final hurrah for all of us before we go our different directions..."

Cody nodded. "Good point. Kind of a way to say goodbye to high school before we head to college..."

"Did you have any place in mind?"

"Well, I was thinking of some place that we haven't visited on board or been there before on our own..."

"Think of anything?"

Cody smiled. "Yeah, I did..."

"Stop teasing me and tell me."

Cody leaned in and whispered his idea to Bailey. "What do you think?"

Bailey just smiled at him. "I love it! I've never been there and always wanted to go!"

"Well, shall we go see what everyone else thinks?"

"Definitely!"

_To be Continued..._


	54. Explorations and Discoveries

_Chapter 54_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Cody and Bailey immediately tracked down their friends and discussed their idea with them. All of them seemed very receptive, but they didn't know if their finances would would allow them to go. After hearing them discuss it, London finally spoke up.

"Hello? Rich girl here!"

Everyone turned to London and she stared back. "What? I've always wanted to go there too. Plus, Daddy has a little influence there. Consider it taken care of..."

Everyone thanked London for her generosity, and returned to what they were doing before. And that was watching the NBA All-Star Game activities from Los Angeles. Zack couldn't help himself and turned to Woody and smiled.

"Doesn't LeBron James just look so natural in a Heat uniform?"

Woody just glared at Zack. Woody was one of the numerous native Clevalanders who would never ever forgive the King for betraying them.

A few days later, the ship docked in Tumon. Tumon could barely be considered a large place as the local population wasn't more than 18,000. However, the area was regularly filled with tourists from all over the world. Everyone was given a few days to explore the area as a with only a token assignment being given.

Everyone new Guam was an American territory, but they were surprised by how Americanized this area was. And although it was till late February, being so close to the equator mean that it was still very warm. In fact, so much so that everyone had to dig out their shorts and t-shirts again.

The first day, everyone just explored the area and did some sightseeing. After a full day of doing that, they decided to try to find some local cuisine for dinner. They wanted to avoid any American chains and eventually decided on a small restaurant off the beaten bath. Most everyone decided to try out some of the local Chamorro cuisine.

As they sat around the table, the topic of life after Seven Seas High came up.

Cassie looked around. "Alright, I know Zack and I are off to UCONN, Cody and Bailey are off to Yale, and Marcus is off on his world tour. What about you, London, Woody and Addison? Decided what you guys are going to do yet?"

London smiled. "Yeah, I'm going to Feenie..."

Everyone looked around at each other and then back to London. "Feenie?"

Woody paused. "Wasn't that the name of the teacher in Boy Meets World?"

London shrugged. "I don't know...Is he in New York?"

Cody shook his head. "So, what will you be studying with...Feenie?"

"Clothes of course..."

Bailey paused and it hit her. "London, do you mean Feenie as in F-I-N-Y?"

London rolled her eyes. "That's what I said!"

Zack was confused. "Wait a minute...What is F-I-N-Y?"

"Fashion Institute of New York..." Bailey turns to London. "Congratulations. I guess you won't be too far away either..."

London paused. "I guess not. You guys will have to come down to New York City to see me sometimes..."

Zack shook his head. "I don't know if Cody and I can do that..."

Cody turned to his brother in surprise. "Why can't we?"

"Don't you remember years ago we vowed to hate everything from New York?"

"I thought that was just the Yankees?"

Zack rolled his eyes. "Dude! We hate the Jets, Knicks and Rangers too..."

"Zack, I think its okay if we visit New York every so often. Just being in the city won't convert us..."

"You better hope it doesn't!"

Cassie shakes her head and turns to Woody and Addison. "What about you two? Any decisions yet?"

Addison sighed. "We're still deciding. We've been accepted a few places, we just don't which one we want to go to yet..."

Bailey turned to them. "Yeah, like where?"

"University of Dayton...University of Toledo...Northern Illinois...and Connecticut..."

Zack and Cassie just stare at Woody and Addison. "You two got into UCONN too?"

Woody nods. "Yeah. We figured we apply to somewhere out of the Midwest in case we wanted to get away from Cleveland and Chicago..."

"Dude, you two have to come to UCONN with us! Smash and Trash can live on!"

Cassie nodded. "Yeah, you should. That way you would each have a roommate in the dorms that you already knew and had lived with before..."

Addison and Woody just looked at each other. Woody paused. "What do you think?"

Addison thought. "Well, we would have friends around us..."

Woody nodded. "And it would get me away from my annoying step dad..."

"And me away from my little sister who still isn't talking to me because I have a boyfriend and she doesn't..."

"Should we go for it?"

"Yeah. I say we should!"

Woody turned back to Zack. "Looks like we're roommates again."

And Addison turned to Cassie. "You up for rooming together again?"

Cassie smiled. "Definitely..."

London begins to pout. "No fair, you all will be in Connecticut and I will be all the way away in New York City!"

Cody tried to comfort her. "London, Bailey and I will be less than two hours up I-95 from you. And Zack, Cassie, Addison and Woody are just another hour away. You'll still see us whenever you want to."

"Really?"

"Really. And I'm sure Bailey and I would love to come down to New York City to hang out with you..."

London paused to think. "Okay."

About that time, everyone's food was brought to them and they began to enjoy their meals. Everything was very different than anything they had ever had but at the same time very good. When the waitress returned to the table to see if they needed anything else, Cody asked if she could tell the cook that everything was delicious. She smiled and said she would.

After dinner, they were waiting on their check and they begin to discuss the rest of the semester.

"So, after we leave Guam, where are we headed then?"

Bailey answered. "Back across the Pacific towards Central America. I think we are scheduled to be on spring break while the ship passes through the Panama Canal. After that, its back up through the Caribbean and on towards Boston."

Zack just looked at her. "The Panama Canal? I can't imagine anything I'd rather do less that spend my spring break going through a canal..."

_Meanwhile_

After years of getting hardly any appreciation for his hard work, the cook was pleased to hear that someone had praised his cooking. He decided to personally go thank whoever it was himself. Taking off his stained apron, he headed into the dining room. The waitress pointed to the table the praise had come from, and he walked closer to it. Of course, he could have figured which table it was. It was the only table that still had people at it. However, he found himself stopping dead in his tracks. Ordinarily, a group of teenagers wouldn't bother him in the least. But it was different this time. He couldn't keep his eyes off of two young men who had to be twins. Both were blonde and blue eyed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture he always kept there. He looked down at the picture and then back at the boys. He couldn't believe his eyes. These two young men looked just like he and his brother had when they were kids.

_To be Continued..._


	55. The Photograph

_Chapter 55_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

The old cook just shook his head. His old eyes and mind had to be playing tricks on him. After all, he was pushing ninety years old. And every so often he would think back to his old life. That had to be it, he had been thinking about his old life and now his mind was playing tricks on him. He sighed and silent berated himself for even letting himself think of those days. He continued walking over to the table and made himself known.

"I understand someone hear had something to say about the food..."

Everyone broke their conversations to look up at him. Cody spoke up. "That was me. I was just telling the waitress how good everything was. It was magnificent..."

The old man nodded. "You folks aren't from around here, are you?"

"No, sir. We are all students of Seven Seas High on board the S.S. Tipton."

"You go to school on a boat? They do that now?"

Bailey smiled. "Yeah, we have for the last three years now..."

The old man shook his head. "School on a boat. Certainly had nothing like that when I was younger..." He paused. "So, where are you from originally?"

"I'm originally from Kettlecorn, Kansas."

Cody followed. "I'm from Boston..." and motioning to Zack and London. "...and so is my brother, Zack and our friend, London Tipton."

"Tipton as in Tipton Industries?"

London smiled. "Yeah, that's my Daddy's company."

The old man sighed. "Your father has really tried to build this place up as a tourist trap. It used to be so quiet back in the day..."

Marcus continued. "I'm originally from Atlanta, Georgia...Well, when I wasn't out on tour..."

"On tour?"

Marcus grinned. "Well, I'm better known as Lil' Little..."

The old man shrugs. "Never heard of you..."

Marcus frowns. "Well, I was a very popular child performer..."

"Not here you weren't..."

Woody laughs and then takes his turn. "I'm from Cleveland, Ohio."

Addison went next. "I'm from Chicago, Illinois..."

The old man nodded. "So, all of you are Americans?"

London smiled. "Well not me...for tax purposes..."

"I'm from the States myself. I grew up in Seattle, Washington..."

Zack and Cody look at each other and then turn back to the cook. "Really? We were actually born in Seattle."

The cook was confused. "I thought you said Boston?"

"We did, we were born in Seattle, but spent our formative years before going to Seven Seas High in Boston..."

The old man just sat there thinking. What were the odds that the two boys who looked like him and his brother were born in Seattle as well. He simply just shrugged it off as an amazing coincidence. His thoughts were interrupted by Cody asking him a question.

"So, how long have you been in Guam?"

"Since..." He pauses to think. "About 1950 I'd say..."

"Cool, so you would know some interesting places around here for us to visit. We're supposed to write a report on something of local interest."

"Wish I could help. I usually spend most of my time here. Pretty much have for the last fifty years..."

"Have you been back to Seattle since you left? Its really grown into a cosmopolitan city...especially if you like coffee, flannel and alternative music..."

The old cook just stared off into space for a minute and then shook his head. "Once. After that, there was no reason for me to go back there ever again..."

Everyone at the table just looks at each other as if they knew they had just struck a nerve. Cody tried to change the subject.

"If you don't mind, I'm sort of a cook myself. I'd love to have any recipes that you would be willing to share..."

The old man just stared a Cody. "Why would you want any from me? I'm just an old cook in a hole in the wall place a ways away from all the action."

Cody smiled. "You'd be surprised at how often that's where the best food is found."

The old man shrugged. "Sure, why not? I don't see how it could hurt anything. Let me head back to get a few..." As he turned to walk away, the picture in his pocket fell out and landed on the floor. At the same time, Zack and Cody excused themselves so they could use the men's room.

Bailey reached down to get something out of her purse when she noticed the photo on the floor. She reached down to pick it up, not really getting a good look at it. When she did though, she was in complete shock. She knew she had seen this photo before. It was a copy of the same photo that Ellie had showed her and Cassie. It was the picture of Tommy and Mitch. Quickly, she looked over at Cassie.

"Here! Look at this!" She pushed the picture in front of her.

Cassie took the picture not sure what the fuss was about. But, like Bailey, when she saw it, she knew exactly what she was looking at.

She turned back to Bailey. "Where did you get this?"

"It was laying on the floor here...right where the cook was standing..."

Cassie paused to think. "But why would he have this picture?"

"You think its possible?"

"It can't be...The odds of that are so...so...so astronomical..."

Bailey leaned closer and spoke lowly. "And the odds of what we just went through weren't?"

Cassie paused. Bailey did have a point. "But how?"

"Ellie did say her on brother went MIA...and we did just pass Iwo Jima a day or two ago..."

"But all this time, he was alive here?"

"It does make sense. He said he was born in Seattle. That's where Ellie lives and was born."

"But why would he never let anyone know he was alive?"

At that time, Zack and Cody returned from the men's room. Once they sat down, Bailey shoved the picture into Cody's face.

"Look at this!"

Cody pulled back to take a look at it. It looked just like him and Zack. "What's this?"

"I just found this on the floor. It had to have fallen out of the cook's pocket..."

Cody was confused. "Why would the cook have a picture of Zack and me?"

"But its not of you two. You're Grandma Ellie showed us this picture before. Its of your great uncles, Thomas and Mitchell..."

"What?"

"I know. The resemblance is uncanny. But its a picture of them and the cook had it..."

Cody paused to think but couldn't come up with an explanation that made any sense. About that time, the old cook came back out of the kitchen and back to the table. He handed some recipes to Cody and thanked them for coming. Before he could turn back around to leave, Bailey stopped him.

"Excuse me, Sir. I believe you dropped this..." And she held up the photo to him.

He reached for his pockets on instinct, but naturally the photo wasn't in them. He reached over and took the photo back from Bailey. "It must have fallen out of my pocket..."

Bailey paused. "It that you in the picture?"

The cook sighed and spoke without thinking. "Yeah, its one of my brother and I..."

Bailey paused again. "Is your name Mitch?"

The old cook just stared at her. He hadn't been called Mitch in a long, long time. But how did these teenagers know what his name was...unless...He turned back to the two twins. Could those two be related to him somehow. He shook his head. He didn't want to know. He had made a new life for himself and didn't want any reminders of his old one. And these kids seemed like the kind that would let his family know he was still alive. And he certainly didn't want that.

"No, its not. In fact, I think its time you all left..."

London looked up. "What about our bill?"

"Its on the house. Now, please leave and never come back here ever again." He began pushing the teens out the front door and closed it in their faces. He quickly locked the door and turned the sign so it said 'CLOSED'. The seven teens just stood there staring trying to figure out what had just happened.

_To be Continued..._


	56. The Confrontation

_Chapter 56_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Everyone just stood outside the restaurant trying to figure out what had just happened. It seemed likely that the old cook was indeed Zack and Cody's Great Uncle Mitch, but he claimed that he wasn't. And then he rudely escorted them out the front door.

Bailey was the first to speak. "I think he was lying. I really believe that was you great uncle..."

Cody paused. "It would seem so...but what do we do now?"

Cassie answered. "I think you and Zack need to call your Mom and especially your Grandma Ellie..."

Cody shook his head. "We can't. At least not yet. While I think that's him, there is the chance that it isn't Uncle Mitch. I don't want to get their hopes up until we know for a fact that its him..."

Zack turned to his brother. "So, what do you suggest?"

"I say we come back tomorrow and get some answers..."

Bailey turned to Cody. "How are we going to do that?"

Cody paused. "I'm not sure yet. But, we'll figure something out. In the mean time, he's not going to tell us anything else tonight. I say we head back to the ship and return back here first thing in the morning. Maybe a good night's sleep will give us an idea of what to do?"

Everyone else nodded. It seemed like there was nothing else they could gain that night. So, with that, they all headed back to the S.S. Tipton.

Back on board, everyone returned to their cabins and Cody and Bailey just laid in bed. Neither one feeling especially tired as both had a lot on their minds. Finally, Bailey turned to Cody.

"You still awake?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking..."

Bailey sighed. "I'm doing the same. Cody, if that is really your Uncle Mitch, why in the world would he stay here and not tell anyone he was alive? If I was gone for a long time, the first thing I would want to do is immediately let you and my family I know was alive..."

"I know. Same here. I guess we can assume he survived the Battle of Iwo Jima after all..."

"But what happened to him between then and now?"

"I don't know. And for all we know, that really isn't him. Maybe it was someone he knew in Seattle or someone he met in the marines?"

Bailey paused. "I suppose that's possible...But I just don't think it is..."

"Yeah?"

Bailey just shook her head. "Call it a gut feeling..."

"I hope you're right. I know Grandma would be beyond thrilled."

"Yeah, she told Cassie and I that she would give anything to spend one more minute with your grandfather or her brothers..."

Cody paused and smiled. "Bails, you are a genius!"

Bailey looked at Cody in confusion. "How so?"

"Grandma!"

"Cody, I'm not following you..."

"If that is really Uncle Mitch, maybe we can use Grandma as a way to get our foot back in the door. He was her big brother after all. Don't big brothers always try to protect their little sisters?"

Bailey paused to think. "I suppose. I don't know, all I have is older sisters..."

"And I have no younger sisters..." Cody paused. "I don't even have any younger female cousins..."

"So, you think we can play on Mitch's affection for Ellie to try to get him to talk to us?"

"Its worth a shot...I've got nothing else."

Bailey nodded then leaned her head back down on Cody's shoulder. "Cody?"

"Yeah, Sweetie?"

"What could have happened to someone that would make them want to forget about their lives?"

"I don't know, Bails...If I had to guess, I would say something pretty major."

"But to never try to go back home?"

Cody just laid there and thought. And then he remembered something. "Wait a minute..."

Bailey looked up at him. "What?"

"Didn't he tell us that he did return to Seattle once?"

Bailey paused to remember. "That's right..."

"Could something have happened then too?"

"Possibly...But, I think we have even more questions now then when we started..."

Cody nodded and pulled Bailey closer. "I know...but we will get to the bottom of this."

The next morning, Bailey, Cody, Zack and Cassie all were up early and departed the ship as soon as they could. The walked directly to the restaurant that they had been at the night before. It still wasn't open yet, so they just found a place to sit and wait. Eventually, they saw the same waitress as the night before arrive and begin to unlock the door. They immediately got up to go over and talk to her.

"Excuse us, ma'am?"

The waitress turned to look at the four teens and smiled. "You all come back for more?"

"Actually, we were hoping you could tell us when the cook from last night would be in today..."

She looked at them now. "Why?"

Cody sighed. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but my brother and I think he is our long lost great uncle. We just want to talk to him..."

"Well, good luck with that. Ol' Mac called in sick today. First time he's ever done that that I remember..."

"Can you tell us where he lives?"

She hesitates. "I don't really think I should...I mean, how do I know you are telling me the truth?"

The four just look at each other, but none have a good answer. "Our boat leaves tonight, we will be gone tomorrow. This is our last chance to find out the truth..."

The waitress sighed. "Up the road a bit is some apartments called The Tahitian Arms. He lives in 4B..."

The teens thank her and immediately head off to find the apartment complex. Not being familiar with the area, it takes them a little while to find the place, but they finally do. And with that, they locate building 4 and make their way to apartment B. Once there, they knock on the door, but get no answer.

The decide they can wait it out, so they all sit down outside the door and wait for Mitch to come out. On the other side of the door, Mitch looked through his peephole and watched them sit down. He sighed and wished they would just leave him alone. He went back inside to sit down, but quickly found himself getting antsy. Why did they have to choose now to mess with his life? He decided then that he wasn't going to let them do that. He marched back to the door and opened it to see the four teens sitting there. They immediately stood up when he did.

"What do you want? Wasn't I clear last night?"

Cody paused. "We just want to talk to you...Uncle Mitch..."

"What part of me not being Mitch did you not..." He paused. "Uncle?"

"Well, great uncle to be precise. Our grandmother is your sister..."

Mitch sighs. "I have no..."

"Yes, you do. Eleanor."

Mitch pauses. He hadn't heard his dear sister's name in so long.

Cody continued. "If you won't talk to us for our sake, talk to us for hers. Not a day has gone by that she hasn't missed you."

Mitch sighs. "There's no point...That part of my life is over. There's no going back..."

"Will you at least tell us why? We have to tell Grandma. Will you at least tell us the reason so we can tell her?"

Mitch sighs again. "Fine. Come on in. But I warn you, this story doesn't have a happy ending..."

_To be Continued..._


	57. The Story

_Chapter 57_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Mitch led the four into his apartment and motioned for them to sit around his kitchen table. He looked around the table, taking time to specifically look at the twins. Looking at Zack, he could feel himself going back in time and looking at his brother Tommy. And looking at Cody, it felt like he was looking in a mirror at his former self.

"So, you say Ellie is your grandmother?"

Zack and Cody nod. "Yeah, we just saw her a couple of months ago at Christmas..."

"And you say she still thinks about me?"

"Yeah, that's how we got our middle names. Zack's middle name is Thomas and mine is Mitchell..."

Mitch nods. "And these two young ladies?"

"This is my girlfriend, Cassie..."

"And this is my girlfriend, Bailey."

Mitch sighs. "So, how is Ellie?"

"She's doing great. Still as feisty as ever..."

Mitch couldn't help but laugh. "That sounds like her..." He pauses. "She was only 15 years old the last time I saw her..."

Bailey sat back and thought. "But I thought she was on 6 years old when you and Tommy went off to war?"

"She was..."

This confused Bailey. "But..."

"I guess I should start at the beginning...Thanksgiving 1941 was one of the happiest times of my life. I was surrounded by my family and I had my girl. We knew the war was going on over in Europe, but it was so far away from us that it didn't really matter. Life was good. Or so I thought. I was working hard so that Amy and I would have a good future. In retrospect, maybe I was working too hard. I don't know. Anyways, I didn't think life could get any better..."

Cody nodded. This sounded just like what his grandmother had told him.

Mitch paused. "Bet you all don't know the significance of that Thanksgiving, do you?"

Cody nodded. "It was the last Thanksgiving before Roosevelt's proclamation that Thanksgiving be the fourth Thursday in November took affect..."

Bailey finished. "Before that, there was a lot of confusion as to which day it should fall on..."

Mitch just stared at the pair. "Very good. Anyways, as we sat around the table that day, we had no idea that our world would soon be turned upside down in a matter of weeks..."

"Pearl Harbor..."

"Yeah...And soon after, Tommy and I were both drafted..." He paused. "I remember telling Amy that this was only a little bump in the road and that when I got back, we were finally going to get married. The night before we...said our goodbyes, and I was off to training."

"And that was the last time you saw Tommy?"

Mitch nodded. "Yeah. I wish I would have known that..." He paused to get a hold of his emotions. "I would have told him that I loved him and that I was sorry for all of our stupid fights we had growing up..."

Cody and Zack just looked at each other. Both were thinking the exact same thing.

"Anyways, after training, I was off to the Pacific. The navy transferred me over to the marines which lead to even more training. I saw light action early on, but that was before the island hopping began..."

"Which lead you to Iwo Jima..."

"Yeah. I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I was supposed to check out a hole that might have been a Japanese bunker. Well, turns out it was. And I ended up captured. When they retreated, they took me with them. I was blindfolded the entire time, so I didn't know where they were taking me. They held me captive until some time in 1949. I had no clue the war ended a few short months after Iwo Jima..."

The teens were astounded. "You were held captive for four years after the war?"

Mitch nods. "Yeah, and then one day I was moved again. Next thing I know, my hands are untied and I'm being pushed out of a chopper and landed on a beach. I removed my blindfold and tried to find out where I was. After walking for what seemed like forever, I found out I was here on Guam..."

"So, what did you do?"

"Well, I wanted to let Amy and my family know I was alive, but this was back before satellites, so I couldn't call. Finally, I was able to catch a ship headed back for San Francisco. Once there, I hitchhiked up to Seattle..." He paused. "It was a lot safer then. Anyways, I made it back to Seattle. And for some reason, I didn't immediately make my presence known. I just kind of walked around letting myself get used to being home. Well, I wandered over to a park in our old neighborhood and sat down. I happened to glance over and noticed something I didn't remember. I walked over to it and noticed it was a memorial to the local boys who served in the war..."

"And that's when you learned about Tommy?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Its also when I found out I was MIA and presumed dead. You guys have any idea what it feels like to know people think you are dead?"

The four just shake their heads.

"Its a strange feeling. I was kind of walking around in a daze when I heard a familiar voice..."

"Amy?"

Mitch shakes his head. "No. It was Ellie. But she was grown up now. She was now a lovely young woman...the kind I normally would have had to beat up boys to protect. I was about to go over to her when a young man sat down next to her. I walked up behind them to eavesdrop their conversation. I soon learned his name was Charlie..."

Zack nodded. "Grandpa..."

Mitch smiled. "Good. From their conversation, I could tell they were crazy about each other. Anyways, I was about to make my appearance when I heard her say something that shook me..."

"What?"

Mitch was staring off into space. "I immediately ran off and my legs just took me in that direction. I walked into the back, and I knew it was true..."

"What was true..."

Mitch turned to look back at them. "Amy was marrying another man..."

The four teens just looked at each other not knowing what to say.

"I knew everyone thought I was dead, but it was that moment that I knew I was dead. I had loved her with all of my heart, and she had given up on me. I couldn't handle that. The one person I thought would always be there for me, and she..." He paused. "It was like my mind went on autopilot. Next thing I remember was being back on a boat again, and it docked back here. This was the only place that had no bad memories for me. So, I stayed. From then on, Mitch was dead...to everyone back home and to myself..."

"Wow..."

"So, now you know my story. I know you can tell Ellie, but I ask you not to. Mitch went off to serve his country. He never made it home. All that's left is this old man who may have a few years left. Let Ellie have her memories of me as to how I was. I'm not that guy anymore..."

Bailey paused. "But you're still her brother..."

"She has her own life now. She has her husband and her grandchildren..."

Cody spoke up. "Grandpa died several years ago...She's been on her own since then. And like we said, she lives in Seattle, and we were in Boston. And the past three years, we've been at sea."

Mitch sighs. "It makes no difference, she's better off without her old broken down brother..."

Bailey speaks again. "No offense, but isn't that her decision to make?"

Mitch just shakes his head and turns to Cody. "You've got a feisty one here..."

Cody smiled. "I know. And trust me, its usually ends up better to listen to her..."

Mitch sighs. "So, what are you going to do? Are you going to call her?"

The four teens looked at each other for a minute before Cody finally spoke. "No, we're not..."

The other three looked at him in surprise, but he continued. "This isn't our life...our decision to make. Its Mitch's. If he wants to go on knowing that he could ease his sister's pain but doesn't, that's all on him. Its the coward's way out, but that's his choice..." Cody turns to Zack. "I guess we get our...fortitude from other parts of the family..."

Cody reaches down and scribbles something on a piece of paper and slides it over to Mitch. "That's Grandma's cell number. But maybe you're right. Maybe she should remember he brother as a war hero and not a coward..." He turns to Bailey, Cassie and Zack. "I think its time for us to leave."

The four get up and walk out of the apartment without saying a word. After they walk a distance away, Zack turns to his brother. "What was that?"

Cody smiled. "Call it a hunch..."

Back inside, Mitch was sitting at his table. First, he was in shock at what Cody said and then he began to fume. Who was that kid to call him a coward? Wasn't he the one who had been a marine? The one who had fought in war? Mitch felt his anger rising even more. "I'll show him who the coward is!"

He immediately grabbed his phone and dialed. He heard a woman answer. "This is Ellie..."

_To be Continued..._


	58. Cody Martin or Bust

_Chapter 58_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Back on the ship, everyone returned to their cabins. Before they did, Zack and Cody pulled each other aside.

"Cody...about what Uncle Mitch said..."

"I know, Zack...I had the same thoughts..."

Zack sighed. "I know we bicker and fight a lot, but I guess I just figured that was normal for brothers..."

"I think it is. But, at the same time, you are my brother and I do love you...I hope you always know that."

Zack nodded. "I do. And I hope you always know I love you too. Just because we might have disagreements, it doesn't change anything..."

"I know. And if I ever found out something had happened to you, I don't know what I would do..."

"Neither do I...I guess I take it for granted sometimes that you will always be around..."

"Same here...And Zack?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to be around for a long, long time. My future kids are going to need their Uncle Zack..."

Zack laughed. "True...Someone has to show them how to have some fun. Especially with you and Bailey as parents..."

Cody sighed. "Don't corrupt them too much..."

"Me? What about you, my future kids are going to need their Uncle Cody around too..."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, somebody is going to have to help them with their homework..."

Cody laughed. "Alright, deal..."

Cody and Zack finally returned to their own cabins. Bailey had been sitting back on the bed thinking about Mitch's story and what Cody had tried. She really hoped he had done the right thing. She saw him come back in and he joined her on the bed. Finally, she turned to him.

"Do you really think what you did will work?"

Cody smiled. "I hope so. I couldn't think of anything else, so I figured I'd go with the Marty McFly Theory..."

"The Marty McFly Theory? You mean like the guy Michael J. Fox played in the Back to the Future movies?"

"Exactly. Remember, he always got goaded into doing something when someone called him chicken or said he was yellow. I figure we see what Uncle Mitch does when I challenged his manhood..."

"But didn't the character learn his lesson in the end?"

"Well...yeah."

Bailey smiled. "I think it was something else..."

"What do you mean?"

"I think you, maybe subconsciously, thought about what would work to get _you _to react and tried to see if it would work on Mitch..."

Cody paused. "You think I would react in the same way?"

"I know you would. You are always trying to prove that you are strong enough to protect me. Even so far as to begin working out to get stronger..."

"But..."

Bailey smiled again. "Its okay, Cody. You aren't one to back down from a challenge. I'm not either. I understand..."

Cody sighed. "I just never thought of it that way..."

"Well, just don't go doing anything stupid...like trying to be a spy again...just to try to prove your bravery and courage..."

Cody nods. "I'll try. And if you think that's what I'm doing, will you tell me?"

"Of course..." Bailey pauses to think. "But what if Uncle Mitch doesn't fall for it?"

Cody shrugged. "We move to Plan B..."

"Which is?"

"We call Grandma..."

Bailey was confused. "But I thought you said we wouldn't do that..."

Cody grinned. "I wanted him to think that..."

"But why?"

"I figured if he thought if it was his idea to call her, he wouldn't run away. If he thought we were going to call, I thought there was a good chance he would try to disappear again..."

Bailey paused to take in what Cody said. "So, if he doesn't call Ellie, and we do so after you said we wouldn't, he wouldn't be expecting it, then she could find him easier without worrying about him running away again..."

Cody paused to try to make sure what she said was what he was thinking. "Exactly..."

Bailey smiles. "That's pretty good thinking. Where did you come up with that?"

Cody grinned. "Well, our psychology book did more than just talk about placebos..."

Bailey rolled her eyes and laughed. "So, what do you think will happen?"

"I don't know. I say we wait a few days before we call Grandma. I want to give him enough time to make a decision."

Bailey nodded. "Probably a good idea..." She paused. "Can you imagine going through what he went through?"

Cody shook his head. "No. I don't even want to think about it..."

"Why not?"

"Well, to begin with, being held captive away from the people I love would be pure torture. Knowing there wasn't anything I could do while they were home thinking I was dead..." Cody shudders.

Bailey slowly rubs Cody's back to comfort him and tries to soothe him. "Its okay..."

Cody turned to her. "I can't imagine finally coming home and walking in and seeing you marry someone else...I think it would kill me..."

"Well, that's something you will never have to worry about because it will never happen..."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Cody, if you were missing, I would make it my life's mission to find you. I wouldn't stop until I found you and brought you home..."

"But..."

"No buts...You remember those signs that movies show hitchhikers carrying? Well, I have one of my own...it says Cody Martin or bust."

Cody smiled. "Really?"

Bailey smiled. "Really. You are the only one I will ever want..."

Cody takes her hand. "But Bails, if something did happen to me, I would want you to be happy..."

"Cody, if something happened to me, what would you do?"

Cody paused. "I think I would do what Grandma does. Keep living my life until I could be reunited with you..."

"I would do the same thing..."

"But what if something happened to me tomorrow?"

Bailey smiled. "Then I would just have a longer wait..."

Cody smiled. "I love you...I hope you never forget that."

"I won't...Like I hope you never forget that I love you."

"I won't either...Just because that happened to Uncle Mitch, it doesn't mean it will to us..."

"Not a chance..."

Cody and Bailey continued to just lie there together, softly talking to each other. Before long, they both had fallen asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning, they woke up early to quickly type up their assignments before heading to class. Instead of focusing on a local attraction, they both decided to write about the discovery of Uncle Mitch. They hoped Tut wouldn't mind. After finishing, they quickly got showered and dressed and were about to leave their cabin. As they opened the door to head out, they found Uncle Mitch standing right there about to knock.

_To be Continued..._


	59. The Cynic and The Idealist

_Chapter 59_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Cody was surprised. "Uncle Mitch...What are you doing here?"

Mitch sighed. "May I come in?"

"Yeah, come on in..."

Mitch walked into the room and noticed Bailey was inside as well. He noticed both had backpacks over their shoulders. "You two have class to go to, don't you?"

Bailey smiled. "Not for another hour. We were just going to breakfast, would you like to join us?"

Mitch shook his head. "No thank you. What I have to say won't take long..." He paused and turned to Bailey. "Do you two always meet up before you head to breakfast?"

"Well, we do always go to breakfast together, but we don't meet up. Cody and I share this cabin together..."

Mitch looked back and forth between them in surprise. "You two live together?"

Cody nodded. "Yes, we do."

"Wow...Times, they are a changing. I guess you two must be pretty serious then..."

Cody wrapped his arm around Bailey. "Yeah, we are. We're in love..."

"Good for you both..."

Bailey continued. "We plan on living together at Yale next year too..."

Mitch raised his eyebrow. "Yale? You two must be pretty smart then. Even I know that's a very good school..."

"Well, we try our best..."

Mitch nodded. "Anyways, I came to talk to you about what you said yesterday. You called me a coward..."

Cody just kept looking at his great uncle but didn't say anything.

Mitch continued. "And, well...You were right. I realized that I shouldn't make Ellie suffer because of my own stubbornness..."

Bailey looked at Cody and smiled. She felt her pride in him swelling as his idea had worked.

Mitch paused. "I called her yesterday..."

Cody finally responded. "How did it go?"

Mitch paused then chuckled. "Fine...once she came too...She passed out on me"

Cody and Bailey both laughed. "I imagine she was pretty surprised..."

Mitch shrugged. "I think so...At first, I had to convince her it was really me. Once I did, I didn't understand a thing she said because she started crying..."

Cody smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like Grandma..."

Bailey nodded. "So, what comes next?"

"Ellie and I decided we were going to meet..."

"Is she coming here or are you going to Seattle?"

Mitch shrugged. "Not sure yet...we're still trying to work out the logistics..."

Cody smiled. "If I know Grandma, she'll have something figured out real soon..."

Bailey laughed. "Yeah, Ellie seems like a woman of action..."

Mitch paused. "Probably so...Anyways, I just wanted to stop by here before you left and thank you...thank you all..."

Bailey smiled. "It was our pleasure."

"Yeah...Besides, we are family."

Mitch nodded. "Family. Guess I'm going to have to get used to having one of those again...You know, I never asked, how many children does Ellie have?"

"Two daughters. My mother, Carey and my Aunt Karen..."

"Carey and Karen?"

Cody shrugged. "I know. I'm just glad Mom gave Zack and I each completely different names...We could have been a Bill and Phil or Greg and Craig..."

Mitch nodded. "I know what you mean. Being a twin is hard enough to have your own identity without having similar names..."

"Tell me about it. Zack and I have spent years trying to become our own people..."

"But, on the other hand, there is something about being a twin that other people can never fully understand..."

"That's true..."

"Well, I really should be heading on. This boat is leaving soon and I have a restaurant to run..."

Cody paused. "Will we see you again?"

Mitch smiled. "Probably. I may be almost 90, but I'm still healthy as an ox..."

"Is there anything else we can do to help?"

"Nah...Besides, you two need to get to class..."

Bailey paused to think. "Hold on, I think I know of something that you might want..." She ran over to her dresser and began to look for something.

Mitch took the opportunity to pull Cody aside. "Do you really love her?"

"Heart and soul"

Mitch nods. "Does she love you?"

"Yeah."

"If its true love, make it the most important thing in your life. You don't ever want to feel the pain when its gone..."

Cody nodded. "Grandma said pretty much the same thing to me..."

Mitch nodded. "Well, she was always pretty smart...I do wish I could have actually gotten to actually meet your grandfather..."

"Grandpa was one of kind...I really looked up to him."

"Well, if he made my sister happy, then must have been a real good guy..." He sighed. "I'm glad someone in the family got to be with the one they loved..."

Cody paused. "Maybe its not too late for you..."

"Yeah, it is...I'll never be able to get it back..."

Cody shrugged. "Never say never. I believe in true love. I don't think it can be denied..."

Mitch had a sad smile. "I remember when I was young and idealistic and thought like that. I wish I could again, but I'm just way too cynical now..."

Bailey comes back over to them. "Here, its a picture of Ellie, Carey, Zack, Cassie, Cody and I from Christmas..."

Mitch smiled at her. "Thank you...Well, I better get going before I get stuck on this boat. I've already done high school once, and have no desire to do it again. And if you two are going to Yale, I can't keep you from class..."

"Well, Uncle Mitch...I hope to see you again soon."

"Same here..." Mitch begins to leave but pauses to turn back. "Just so I'm clear, how many days were you going to wait before you called Ellie yourself?"

"A few..."

"I figured as much..." And with that, Mitch was gone.

_To be Continued..._


	60. The Best Two Years of Our Lives

_Chapter 60_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

**Author's Note: The 60****th**** chapter already. This is already as long as Cailey on Deck was. Guess I should start wrapping this story up, huh?**

Cody and Bailey finished their classes for the day and had just returned to their cabin when Cody's cell phone began to ring. Cody pulled it out of his pocket, and when he saw who it was, he smiled at Bailey. It was a phone call that both had been expecting all day. Cody pressed the talk button on his phone and simply said hello to his grandmother. Not surprisingly, she was very excited and wanted to hear everything. Cody simply pressed the speakerphone button on his phone so Bailey could hear and join in on the conversation.

They told her the story of Bailey finding the photograph, of confronting Mitch, of him pushing them out of the restaurant, of confronting him the next day, and the story that he had told them. Ellie just listened, but it was obvious to Cody and Bailey that she was crying. She thanked them profusely for finding her brother for her, and all they asked was that she call them to let them know how her reunion with her brother went. She gladly said she would. But before she hung up, she wished them an early happy anniversary.

As it turned out, the S.S. Tipton was on its way to Honolulu. However, the voyage from Guam to Hawaii was going to take between two and three weeks. And to Bailey's chagrin, their anniversary was going to fall while they were were en route. She wished that they would be in port somewhere, but that wasn't going to stop her from making their anniversary as wonderful as she could. She already had the day planned, and already had Cody's gifts selected.

Bailey wasn't the only one who was making anniversary plans though. By pure accident, Cody had discovered what he thought would be the perfect anniversary present for Bailey. Well, half of it anyways. The other half he had taken care of over Christmas Break. The first half had taken quite a few emails and a bit of luck, but it looked like everything was going to end up working out.

Finally, the day of their anniversary arrived. As it had fallen on a Friday the year before, it fell on a Saturday this year. With that in mind, Bailey had a full day of activities planned. The morning started off pretty ordinary with them having breakfast with their friends who all wished them a happy anniversary. Zack and Cassie both had to leave early to get ready for their shifts. Yes, Cassie had decided after the switch that maybe it was time for her to get a job as well. And as luck would have it, there was an opening for a towel boy or towel girl as it would turn out. Cody had showed her that there wasn't much to it, but he did have to laugh we he discovered she got better tips than he did. Once breakfast was over, Bailey's plans began in earnest.

She lead him to the ships spa and message center where they had reservations for a couple's massage. Cody could only laugh, but he was game. They were able to hold hands and talk with each other while both received their massages, before moving on to a joint mud bath. While in there, Cody wrapped his arm around Bailey and told her that while he enjoyed the massage, hers were a lot better. For that, he received a muddy kiss. After the mud bath, they were allowed to rinse off before heading to a private sauna. Both found themselves relaxing and enjoying being together. Being only wrapped in towels, it would be foolish to think they were able to keep their hands off of each other. Before their time there was done, Bailey had one more surprise there for Cody...a joint manicure and pedicure. Bailey had been a little apprehensive that Cody wouldn't go along with it, but he smiled and said if that's what she had planned, he would do it. His only request was that she not tell their friends about that part.

Once their time at the spa was over, Bailey led Cody up to the observation deck where a picnic lunch was waiting on them. They just enjoyed it and laid back on the blanket to enjoy the warm South Pacific weather. Ultimately, the ended up snuggled together and found themselves taking a nap together under the warm sun.

When the finally woke up, Bailey realized it was time for them return to the cabin to get changed for the evening. Cody just smiled and was willing to follow Bailey's lead. All he asked was what the dress code was. Bailey paused and told him formal. Cody quickly went to the closet to get out his tuxedo while Bailey decided on which of her dresses to wear. They both changed, and after Cody zipped Bailey up, they were off. Cody allowed Bailey to lead them to the Balcony of the Neptuner where the maitre'd lead them to one of the private balcony tables.

Cody could only smile at his love. "Bails, this is amazing. I can't believe you did all of this today..."

Bailey smiled back. "Well, I told you that I wanted to show you how much I love you. I hope I have..."

"I already know how much you love me, and I truly appreciate you doing all of this..." Cody grinned. "Of course, you've set the bar even higher for me next year..."

Bailey laughed. "We'll see, but tonight's not over yet..."

The waiter arrives and takes their orders and leaves to place them.

Bailey turns back to Cody. "You want your gift now?"

"Gift? Bails, what you've already done has been more than enough..."

Bailey smiles. "Well, there's more whether you like it or not..." She reaches down and pulls up a wrapped box.

Cody takes it and slowly opens it. He looks inside and smiles. He should have known. He looks up and smiles at Bailey. "Volume II, Senior Year. I love it..."

"Well, I told you last year that there would be one..."

"When did you have time to put this together?"

"Well, I've been keeping up with it for the past year. I finished the rest of it one day last week while you were in the gym."

"Like the first one, I will cherish it as one of my most treasured possessions."

"I'm glad you like it..."

"Now, its your turn. I will warn you, this is only half of your gift." Cody reaches down and pulls out a box of his own and hands it to Bailey.

Bailey can't help herself and begins to rip into the wrapping paper and opens the box. She looks inside and can't believe what she sees. Its a small plaque with Cody's old cast attached to it. Underneath of the cast, there was a small silver tab with an inscription engraved.

_While my body may get broken, the love I have for you never will be. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for the two most wonderful years any man could ever ask for._

_My love now and forever, Cody_

Bailey just looked up and Cody and he could see the tears in the corners of her eyes. "What do you think?"

Bailey smiled and got up and walked over to Cody and sat on his lap before leaning in and kissing him. Once she finally pulled back, she spoke to him. "I love it. It will forever be a reminder to me of just how much you love me..." She paused to collect herself. "Well, I guess this explains what you did with your cast..."

Cody just echoed Bailey's words from earlier. "I'm glad you like it."

"Well, like you, I have another half of your gift too..."

"Yeah?"

"You'll have to wait till later to find out what it is..."

Cody grinned. "Something tells me I'm already going to love it..."

At that moment, the waiter brought out their meals. Bailey was about to return to her chair, but Cody held her into his lap. She smiled and they proceeded to feed each other. Bailey never did return to her chair the rest of the time they were in the restaurant.

"I know its not as good as what Chef Paulo made us..."

Cody shushed her. "A truly great meal is not only the food you eat, but the company you share it with. And with the company I am sharing this one with, there could be no greater meal..."

Bailey could only lean down and kiss him again.

After dinner was over, the left the restaurant and headed to the formal ballroom. Once there, they proceeded to dance the rest of the night away in each other's arms. There may have been others on the dance floor, but neither could remember seeing anyone else. Eventually they grew tired and made their way back to their own cabin.

Cody turned Bailey so he could look into her eyes. "Are you ready for the other half of your gift?"

Bailey just nodded.

Cody quickly opened her laptop and slipped a disc into it. Bailey could only look on in confusion as to what Cody was doing. However, she knew whatever he was doing, she was going to love it. He got up and lead her over to her desk chair and had her sit down.

"Press play..."

Bailey did, and she saw a face that she hadn't seen in exactly two years.

_Hey Bailey, this is Hannah Montana. Your boyfriend, Cody tells me that today is your second anniversary. He also tells me that the first date you two had was at my concert in Hawaii after the teen cruise. While that was an interesting experience, I'm glad something as good as you two getting together came out of it. Well, I know you aren't in Hawaii right now, but Cody tells me you soon will be. I hope you have as wonderful time then as you did two years ago. Finally, I know this year I don't have a concert there, but I will be having one in Boston this summer. I hope you both will be my guests for that show as well as join me backstage for the afterparty. Again, I wish you a happy anniversary. Its quite obvious to me that you have a feller that loves you very much. With that, I wish you goodbye...or should I say sayonara._

With that, the video clip ends and Bailey just looks up in shock at a smiling Cody.

"How? How did you get her to do that?"

"Begging...Lots and lots of begging."

Bailey stands up and throws her arms around Cody and holds him tight. "I can't believe you did that..."

"Well, I wanted to show you how much I love you..."

Bailey blinks even more tears out of her eyes. "I love you. I love you sooooooo much..."

"Happy Anniversary, Bails."

She smiles. "Time for the other half of yours...Will you unzip me first?"

Cody nods and unzips the back of her dress. Bailey gets a box out of her drawer. "I'm going to go into the bathroom to clean up my face. While I do, open this and put it on..."

Cody nods again as Bailey slips into the cabin's bathroom. He opens the box and smiles at what he sees inside. Its a pair of black silk boxers. And even more, embroidered on left leg is the words 'Property of Bailey'. Cody quickly undressed and slipped on the silk boxers. Once he was done, he went over and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Bails, are you okay in there?"

From inside, she says. "Yeah, I'll be right out...Why don't you go ahead and get in bed?"

Cody shrugs and pulls back their comforter. As he does that, he hears the bathroom door open, and he looks up. Standing in front of him is Bailey wearing a shear white babydoll lingerie over top of a pair of the sexiest white panties that Cody had ever seen. His mind and pulse raced as he tried to think of something to say, but he mind was a complete blank.

Nervously, Bailey asked. "What do you think?"

Cody just kept staring. But he knew he had to say something. His voice began to crack at first, but finally he was able to form words. "Bails...If I went blind right now, I would be okay with it. Because I know I've just seen the most beautiful sight that I will ever see..."

Bailey smiled and blushed. She knew he was being sincere. "You really like it?"

"There aren't words to describe how much I like it..."

"Well, this is your gift..."

Cody smiled and spoke in almost a whisper. "I can't wait to unwrap it..."

Bailey climbed on the bed and pulled Cody onto it with her. "I do have to tell you. I think you are going to get attacked on our anniversary again this year...but this year, it will be by me..." And with that, Bailey pulled Cody in for a passionate kiss.

_To be Continued..._


	61. Vacation Plans

_Chapter 61_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

The next morning, everyone again met for breakfast. Of course, instead of wishing Cody and Bailey a Happy Anniversary, everyone was asking how it went.

Cody just turned to Bailey and smiled. "It was...eye opening."

Bailey blushed and everyone around the table looked on in confusion. Well, all except one. Cassie had been with Bailey when she had made her purchase, so she had a pretty good idea what Cody was talking about.

Zack was oblivious to all of this. "Well, I bet you're glad you didn't get attacked again last night..."

Cody paused trying to find the right way to answer that question. "Well, I didn't have to fight anyone off last night..." And under his breath. "I was having way too much fun being attacked this time..."

Bailey kicked him under the table. Zack turned back to his brother. "What was that last part?"

Cody grimaced from the kick. "Nothing..."

Cassie decided to change the subject. "So, what all did you two do yesterday?"

"Bailey set up a spa treatment for us yesterday. It was very relaxing. And then we had a picnic on the observation deck. After that we had dinner and then went dancing..."

Zack rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah...What kind of gifts were there?"

Cody paused. He wasn't about to admit everything. "Bailey made me another scrapbook of our senior year together..."

Addison smiled. "That sounds so nice..."

Bailey took over. "And Cody had a surprise for me that I never would have expected..."

Cassie urged her cousin to continue. "What was it?"

"I had a personalized video clip from Hannah Montana wishing me a Happy Anniversary as well as tickets and backstage passes for her concert in Boston this summer..."

Zack turned to his brother. "How did you pull that off?"

Cody shrugged. "I sent...several emails to her manager and finally got a response. I just explained that our first date had been at one of her concerts, and that we were celebrating our second anniversary..."

Zack nodded. "Not bad. Not bad at all..."

Bailey smiled. "I will treasure it for the rest of my life..."

Cody smiled back at her. "Good..." Of course after that, Cody couldn't help it and a yawn overtook him.

Zack noticed it and smirked. "Looks like someone had a late night last night..."

Of course, like Cody earlier, his girlfriend kicked him under the table.

Since Woody, Addison, London and Marcus were still in the dark about the full extent of her and Cody's relationship, Bailey tried to change the subject. She had no problem if they found out, but she wasn't going to broadcast it. "Can you guys believe its already March? We graduate in May..."

Marcus nods. "Yeah, my first tour date is only about three months away..."

"Speaking of which, its almost time for college spring breaks. Are we ever going to meet this mystery girlfriend of yours?"

Marcus sighs. "Yes. She's going to meet us in Honolulu when we dock there. I've already told her that everyone was anxious to meet her..."

"Are you going to try to get her to join us for our trip in August?"

"I'm trying..."

London perks up. "Oh yeah...Daddy says everything is set. All we have to do is decide on which resort in the property we want to stay at and let him know how many rooms we need..."

"Well, Cody and I will need one..."

"One for Zack and me too..."

Addison smiled. "One for Woody and me..."

Marcus sighed. "And one for me as well. Once I get the word from Melanie, I'll know whether I need a king sized bed or two queen sized ones..."

London nods. "I guess that makes a total of five rooms for possibly 10 people..."

Everyone turned to London. "Are you bringing a guest, London?"

London smiled. "Maybe..."

Bailey just shook her head. "I can't believe we are all actually going to get to go to Disney World..."

Cody smiled at her. "I can't wait to get to explore EPCOT..."

Bailey smiled. "Me too..."

Zack shook his head. "Not me...I can't wait to hit the Magic Kingdom...Cassie and I got a date with Space Mountain..."

Addison shook her head at that. "Woody and I will be off to the Animal Kingdom..."

Cody turned back to Bailey. "And we'll get to check out the Hall of Presidents!"

"I know! I hear they've renovated it..."

Zack shook his head again. "This is supposed to be a vacation. It sounds like you guys are going there to learn..."

"Zack, there is nothing wrong with seeing the things we want to see. Besides, I'm sure we'll hit plenty of thrill rides as well..."

Marcus shakes his head. "Guys...We still have five months before this happens. Lets get through these next two months first..."

Everyone nodded. They knew they shouldn't get too far ahead of themselves. There was still going to be class the next day. Everyone spent the rest of that Sunday afternoon either relaxing and taking it easy or finishing up homework. And Cody did finally get to take a nap. He and Bailey had returned back to their cabin after breakfast and both lied down.

"Guess we did have kind of a late night last night, huh?"

Cody turned to Bailey and grinned. "I don't believe you saw me complaining..."

"Did you really like that?"

"I hope I showed you how much I did..."

Bailey smiled. "Okay, you did do just that..."

"Bails, you blew me away last night. You looked amazingly sexy last night. That image of you has been permanently imprinted into my mind..."

"Well, I had been thinking for a while about trying something a little more...risque. You know, try to be more sexy..."

Cody took her hand into his. "As much as I enjoyed it, you don't have to do things like that for me to think you are sexy. To me, you already are the sexiest woman in the world..."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Never doubt that..." He smiles. "Thanks to that jersey you wear, I get turned on every time I see the Patriots logo..."

Bailey laughs and nods. "Okay. That's all that matters to me anyways...that you think I am..."

"And I do..." Cody grins. "Now, those silk boxers, were those an attempt to make me look sexier too?"

"I guess I just wanted us to both have something special to wear...but Cody, I always think you are sexy too..." Bailey paused and grinned. "Especially after you've been working out and you are all sweaty..."

Cody teases her. "I see how it is. You only love me for my body, huh?"

Bailey laughs. "You got me..." She gets serious then. "I love you for who you are...my best friend, my confidant, my lover, my knight in shining armor, and my little neurotic egghead..."

Cody leans in and kisses her. "I love you too...I just want you to keep being yourself, the wonderful girl who I fell in love with."

Bailey just snuggles in closer to Cody. And soon, both are taking the nap they both needed.

After about another week, the S.S. Tipton finally docked in Honolulu. Like Guam, the ship would only be in port for a few days as it had to make its scheduled time to pass through the Panama Canal. Everyone on board was happy to have a few days on solid ground before looking at another two to three week stretch of straight sailing towards Central America.

Waiting at the dock to meet the ship were a few visitors. One, Marcus' girlfriend Melanie was expected. The other two were not. Everyone was on the skydeck meeting Melanie and getting to know her when Zack and Cody heard their names being called over the intercom system to please come to the main lobby. The twins looked at each other and shrugged. The got up and headed to the lobby and were trying to figure out why they had been summoned. They were about to give up and head back when they felt taps on their shoulders. They both turned and were shocked by what they saw.

"Grandma? Uncle Mitch?"

_To be Continued..._


	62. Grandma on Deck

_Chapter 62_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Zack and Cody were in complete shock seeing their grandmother and great uncle standing before them in the main lobby of the S.S. Tipton.

"What are you two doing here?"

Ellie laughed. "Its a long story that we'll be more than happy to tell you. Now, where are those beautiful girlfriends of yours. Might as well only tell it once..."

Cody blinked. "They're on the skydeck with some of our friends..."

"Well, let's get going then. I want to see this boat that you boys have spent the last three years on..."

At the point, Moseby came back into the lobby to take his place as his desk. He notices Zack and Cody.

"Zack, what are you doing here? Planning your next misadventure?"

Before Zack could respond, Ellie did. "Ahhh, you must be Marion Moseby. I'm Ellie Rhodes, the twins' grandmother and this is my brother, Mitch. Now, I want to know why you thought my grandson was up to something. They are both good boys..."

Moseby just raised his eyes. "Right..."

Zack smirked at Moseby. "Don't worry, Moseby...we were just leaving." He paused. "Tell Tut we said hello..."

Zack begins to lead Ellie and Mitch to the elevator as Moseby just stares at him wondering exactly what he meant by that.

Back on the skydeck, everyone was still getting to know Melanie. So far, she was a hit. She was smart, nice, funny and knew how to keep Marcus in line. And she seemed to fit right in from the start. For that, Marcus was silently giving his thanks. Bailey and Cassie were enjoying meeting her, but their minds were both distracted as they were wondering why their boyfriends had been paged to the main lobby. They happened to glance over at the elevator and saw Zack and Cody getting off of it followed by Ellie and Mitch. Immediately, they both got up and ran over to them. Likewise, Ellie immediately saw them coming over and smiled.

"Bailey...Cassie...There you two are!" She immediately pulled them both into a hug.

"Ellie, this is a surprise. So good to see you again."

"Yeah, Zack and Cody didn't tell us you were coming."

Ellie grinned. "Because they didn't know..."

"Come on Grandma, I want you to meet some of our friends."

Everyone lead Ellie and Mitch over to the table they had been sitting at.

"Guys, I would like you to meet Zack and my Grandma, Ellie. And everyone here but Melanie has already met Uncle Mitch."

"Its nice to meet my boys' friends..."

Zack begins the introductions. "This is my roommate and Cody's former roommate, Woody."

"Its nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot of...interesting stories about you..."

Woody grinned. "About my musical abilities, huh?"

"Something like that..."

Zack continues. "And this is Woody's girlfriend, Addison."

"I've heard a lot about you as well, dear."

"Its nice to meet you too, Ellie."

Cody takes over. "And this is Marcus Little..."

Ellie smiles and cuts him off. "Ahhh...the famous Lil' Little. Its my pleasure to meet you."

Marcus smiled. "You've heard of me?"

"Of course. I'm a big fan. I may be a grandmother, but I like to think I'm hip..."

"And next to him is his girlfriend, Melanie. She's joining us on her spring break."

"Nice to meet you as well."

Melanie speaks. "Likewise. Everyone's been telling me about what happened in Guam. I'm very happy for you and your family."

Ellie turned to her brother and smiled. "Yeah, its been an exciting time."

Cody continues. "And last but not least is London. I think you've met her before a few years ago when you visited us at the Tipton."

"Good to see you again, dear. You are still as lovely as ever."

London smiled. "I know!"

Once the introductions were over, Bailey finally asked the question on everyone's mind. "So, what are you two doing here in Honolulu?"

Mitch laughed and gestured towards his sister. "Ask her..."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Well, turns out there are no direct flights between Guam and Seattle. And there are only two common destinations that you can get a direct flight to...Honolulu and Tokyo. Well, it seems like this family has a lot better luck with things in Honolulu than we do in Tokyo..."

Cody and Bailey look at each other and both try to hold back laughs.

"Besides, I talked to Carey and found out the ship was supposed to be here too, so I figured I'd go get my brother and stop in on my grandsons at the same time..."

Zack sighed. "I wish I could stay and hang out with you more Grandma and Uncle Mitch, but I have shift starting soon..."

Cassie nodded. "So do I..."

Ellie smiled. "Well, why don't we all meet up and later. I hear there is an authentic luau later. Maybe we can all go?"

"Sounds like a plan to us..."

Ellie turned to Cody and Bailey. "Are you both free?" After they both nodded, she continued. "Good, why don't you two show us what all this boat has?"

They bid goodbye to their friends and began to take Ellie and Mitch on a tour of the whole ship. They started off with the actual Seven Seas High part of the ship then showed them the ledo deck, the gym, the observation deck and many other places on the ship that they frequented. Finally, Ellie wanted to see their cabin, so Cody and Bailey showed it to her.

"I like it. It reminds me of the first apartment Charlie and I had together. All it needs is a little kitchenette in the corner..."

Bailey smiled. "We like it. Its our home away from home..."

Cody nodded. "Yeah, we have everything we need right here."

Ellie smiled. "By the way, I wanted to wish you both a belated happy anniversary. I hope it was very romantic..."

"It was. Bailey planned a very romantic day for us."

"And Cody did his part too. He gave me a surprise I will never forget..."

Cody whispered to her. "So did you..."

Ellie smiled again watching them. "I also know yours and Zack's birthdays are coming up soon as well as Zack and Cassie's first anniversary. I have something for all of you later..."

"You didn't have to do anything, Grandma..."

"Hush...You two are my only two grandchildren and I have my grandmother's right to spoil you rotten..."

Bailey smiled. "So, tell us about your reunion."

"When I first saw Mitch, I instantly knew it was him. I was so happy, I just hugged him and cried for what seemed like hours..."

Mitch laughed. "Forty-five minutes, but close enough...Of course, once she was done with that, I got the mother of all scoldings..." He turned to Ellie. "I assume you picked that up from Mom..."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Well, I had to let him know what he did was stupid..."

"I did what I thought was best..."

"Anyways, I had to make him promise he wouldn't do anything like that ever again. The men in our family can be so stubborn sometimes..."

Mitch glares at Ellie. "Hey..."

Ellie smirks and turns to Bailey. "Am I right?"

Bailey can't help but laugh. "Oh yeah..."

Cody turns to Bailey. "Hey..."

Bailey takes Cody's hand in hers. "Sweetie, I love you, but you can be very stubborn at times..."

Cody huffs. "Yeah, that's like the pot calling the kettle black..."

Bailey keeps smiling. "I know...But just because I'm stubborn too doesn't mean you aren't..."

Ellie just laughs at them. "Anyways, we've spent the past few days just talking and getting to know each other again..."

"So, what comes next?"

"Easy...I'm dragging Mitch back to Seattle with me. Its time for him to come home and finally meet his nieces..."

Mitch sighs and turns to Cody. "Ever get the feeling you have no say in things?"

"Don't look at me...I'm not touching that one with a ten foot pole..."

Ellie laughs again. "You see, Mitch...Cody knows better..."

Mitch snorts. "Not with his girlfriend sitting right next to him..."

Ellie smiles. "Well, get used to it. I know Bailey is going to be part of our family someday, so she'll be around to help keep you on the straight and narrow too..."

Bailey smiled. "Gladly..."

Mitch shakes his head and sighs. "Isn't there a luau we're supposed to be going to?"

Ellie turns to Bailey. "They may be stubborn, but they are worth keeping around..."

"I couldn't agree more..."

Ellie stands up. "And he does make a good point. Lets go find Zack and Cassie and have some fun..."

_To be Continued..._


	63. The Luau

_Chapter 63_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Fortunately, Zack and Cassie's shifts were soon coming to an end. And once they did, the group of six departed the boat and made their way to the beach on which the luau was being held. Once there, everyone had a lei placed around their necks and the ladies a flower to put in their hair. The actual feast itself was not going to be ready for a couple of hours, so they had time to walk around and take in everything. In the distance, Ellie saw something and dragged them all with her.

Mitch sighed. "Ellie, what are you doing?"

She smiled. "They're teaching hula. I say we all give it a try..."

Mitch shook his head. "Oh no...I'm too old for that..."

Bailey smiled at him. "Did you tell us not long ago that you were as healthy as an ox?"

Mitch just glared at her. "Thanks for reminding me"

Ellie grabbed his arm and dragged him over.

Bailey and Cassie similarly grabbed their boyfriends' arms and dragged them over too. Soon, all of them wear wearing grass skirts. The instructor gave slow instructions and soon, most of them were getting the hang of it. Zack and Cody had almost forgotten they were wearing grass skirts when they both heard laughter coming from behind them. Marcus and Woody were the culprits while London, Addison and Melanie watched with them.

Marcus shouted out. "Looking good, boys!"

Woody joined in. "Yeah, nice legs in your skirts!"

Zack smirked at yelled back. "Woody, you do know that is twice now you've said Cody has nice legs..."

Cody stopped dancing and turned to his brother. "What?"

Zack laughed. "Yeah, he said so once before..."

Cody turned and glared at Woody. "Dude!"

Now, everyone was staring at Woody and laughing at him.

"Hey, to be fair, this time I was just joking and the time before I thought Cody was a girl..."

Cody hung his head. "Thanks, man..."

"I wouldn't now. I mean, now you're all buff and stuff..."

Marcus turned to Woody. "Man, maybe you should just shut up now..."

Addison smiled. "I have a better idea...We'll join them"

Woody sighs. "Dang it!" Addison grabs Woody and drags him into the lessons too and soon they are both wearing grass skirts as well.

Cody turns and smirks at Woody. "Nice legs, Woodchuck..."

Woody just glares at Cody.

Now, Marcus is really having a good time watching his friends in their current state. Melanie gives London a look and they both nod. Next thing Marcus knows, both girls are dragging him to join everyone else.

Zack takes his turn to laugh at Marcus now. "For someone who is such a famous performer, your moves suck, Dude..."

Marcus just glares at Zack now.

Eventually, their lessons end and the eleven of them return to a table to rest and enjoy the beautiful Hawaiian views. There is an announcement that the pig will soon be dug up and the feast will begin soon after.

Cody turned to Bailey. "Should we take part in this?"

Bailey looked at Cody confused. "Why wouldn't we?"

"You know...because of Porkers..."

Bailey smiled at him. "I think he'll understand. Besides, its not like he is the pig that we are going to eat..."

"If you say so, I didn't know if it would be right..."

Bailey rubs his back. "Its okay, its just the way things are done of the farm. You can't grow too attached to any of the animals. Well, except Bessie. She was our dairy cow. We knew there was no chance we were going to eat her..."

Cody just shakes his head. "I know I've spent time there, but there is so much more I need to learn..."

The pig is found and dug up, and soon the feast begins. In addition to the kalua pig, there was poke, lomi salmon, opihi, and haupia. And for those who were old enough, there were adult beverages. The meal was quite good and everyone got their fair share. They finished eating just in time to watch the sun set on the Pacific Ocean. Once darkness fell, everyone was treated to an authentic Polynesian dancing exhibition.

Once it was over, Marcus and Melanie excused themselves so they could spend some time alone. Woody and Addison soon followed as they were in search of something sweet for dessert. London wanted to go check out the displays and do some shopping. This left Mitch, Ellie, Bailey, Cody, Zack and Cassie around the table.

Finally Zack broke the silence. "So, Uncle Mitch, what the first thing you're going to do once you get back to Seattle?"

Mitch shrugged. "I don't know. I guess see if any of my old friends are still alive. Other than that, just see what all has changed..."

Bailey paused. "Are you going to try to find Amy and talk to her?"

Mitch shook his head. "No. That's water under the bridge. I've spent sixty years trying to forget her, no sense stirring the hornet's nest now..."

Ellie just looked at her brother with sadness. She wished she could say something to comfort him, but she hadn't seen Amy in nearly 60 years herself. She had just happened to read in the newspaper about her wedding announcement. Silently, she wondered what would have happened if she hadn't been discussing that with Charlie when Mitch had overheard her.

Zack tried to change the subject. "Well, the Mariners should be starting their season again soon..."

Mitch just laughed. "I have no allegiance to them. Seattle didn't have a team when I was growing up. Remember, back when I lived there, the Giants were still in New York and the Dodgers were in Brooklyn...The only team I really cared anything about was the Yankees..."

Zack and Cody just stared at him. "The Yankees?"

"Well, to be fair, when I was growing up was the time of Joltin' Joe DiMaggio..."

Cody sighed. "There was Teddy Ballgame around too..."

"He was pretty good too..." He paused. "You guys are Red Sox fans, aren't you?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah, and I've converted Bailey too..."

Ellie cleared our throat. "We're in paradise...Can't we talk about something besides baseball?"

"Like what?"

"We should be celebrating! Zack and Cassie got accepted to UCONN, Cody and Bailey were given a prestigious award, they just celebrated their second anniversary, the boys turn 18 soon, and Zack and Cassie will celebrate their first anniversary. And if we needed anymore, they all graduate in a couple of months..."

Mitch nodded. "Well, congratulations to you all...Those are some big milestones..."

Ellie smiled. "And don't worry, I'll be dragging big brother with me to Boston for your graduation..."

Everyone else just laughed.

"Speaking of which, I do have something for all of you...For your anniversaries, when you get back to Boston, you will find four tickets to the Yankees-Red Sox game at Fenway on the 4th of July..."

The four teens were very excited about that. First the Patriots and now the Red Sox. Cody turned to look at Bailey and tried picturing her in nothing but a Red Sox jersey. Bailey could tell what he was thinking and just laughed at him.

"And for your birthdays, I have these..." She pulls two small boxes out of her purse. The twins both open them and are surprised by what's inside. Inside Zack's box was an old pocket watch, and inside Cody's box was a pair of cufflinks with 'C's on them. "Zack, that is your grandfather's pocket watch. Cody, those are your grandfather's cuff links. I know he would want you both to have those, and I can't think of a better time to give them to you then on your 18th birthdays."

"I don't know what to say, Grandma..."

She smiled. "Just use them and always remember how much your Grandpa and I love you both. And girls, I know he would think you both hung the moon..."

After that, the night slowly came to a close. The teens had to return to the ship, and Ellie and Mitch had to head back to their hotel for their flight back to Seattle the next day. Before leaving, they all said their goodbyes.

"Okay, you four. I will see you all in Boston for graduation..." Ellie smiled. "You just make sure you all do..."

"We will..."

"Come here and give me one last hug..." She pulled all four of them into one more group hug. "I think the world of all four of you. And I know you can do anything you put your minds to. I am so proud of you all and can't wait to see what you all accomplish in the future. I love you all."

"We love you too, Grandma."

And with the final goodbye, the group split apart and went their separate directions.

_To be Continued..._


	64. Back to the Grindstone

_Chapter 64_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

The next day, the S.S. Tipton departed Honolulu and began its trek towards Central America. At approximately the same time, two planes were departing. One was taking Mitch and Ellie back to Seattle, and one was taking Melanie back towards Atlanta. On board the ship, everyone was preparing themselves for the upcoming midterms. Unbeknownst to the seniors, if they did well on these, they might be the last tests they ever take at Seven Seas Highs.

So, it was probably a good thing that they were in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with nowhere to go as everyone was again busy studying and finishing their papers and projects. For an entire week, everyone was practically living out of the ship's library.

Zack happened to look over at his brother typing away on his laptop. "And what is your paper about again?"

Cody looked up. "Its on how the novel Jurassic Park is the modern day re-telling of Frankenstein. You know, man plays God, man creates life, man ignores the consequences, life can't be controlled, life destroys man..."

Zack just shook his head. "Only you could make two cool movies sound so boring..."

Bailey rolled her eyes. "I happen to think its a brilliant idea..."

Cassie turned to her cousin. "What's your paper on?"

"I'm comparing the concepts of love, devotion and family in The Great Gatsby and The Odyssey..."

Cody looks up again. "I can't wait to read it when you're done..."

Cassie and Zack just look at each other and shake their heads. "Please say your project you finished for your environmental sciences class was better..."

Cody and Bailey look at each other. "We thought so. We just expanded on the project we did on hybrid vehicles we did last semester and compared how they would perform versus potential vehicles that ran off of ethanol..."

Zack sighed. "Now you've made cars sound boring too..."

Cassie paused. "Speaking of which, have you two thought about what you are looking for when we get our cars?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah, I think we are leaning towards the Ford Escape Hybrid."

Zack shook his head again. "Sounds so practical...I'm still thinking of a convertible of some sort..."

Cody laughed. "Yeah, tell me how that works out for you during a Connecticut blizzard in February..."

Cassie turned to Zack. "That is a good point..."

Zack nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. Is that why you guys went with four wheel drive?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah, plus we figured the cargo space would come in handy..."

Cassie nodded. "How did you guys come up with the Escape?"

"We sat down and discussed what we both were looking for. After that, we made some compromises and began searching for what fit those compromises. When we were down to a few we liked, we checked them out under consumer reports..."

Cassie turned to Zack. "Sounds like a conversation we need to have as soon as midterms are over..."

Zack nodded again. "Yeah. I guess this is a decision we will be stuck with for a few years, might as well do it right..." With that, Zack yawns. "I think I'm going to go for a red bull. Anyone else need anything?"

Cassie nodded. "Yeah, I could use one too..."

Cody turned to Bailey. "I may go get a cappuccino, you want anything?"

"Are those any good?"

"I like them..."

"Just get me one of whatever you're getting then..."

Cody smiled. "Sure thing. I'll make you my specialty..." And with that, Cody and Zack were off.

Bailey quickly turned back to Cassie. "While we have a few minutes, their birthdays are coming up soon. I know its also yours and Zack's first anniversary, so I didn't know if you already had anything planned..."

Cassie paused. "A few thoughts. Ideally, I would like for us to have some time to ourselves..."

Bailey smiled. "I completely understand. Maybe we could do a joint birthday breakfast or brunch or lunch, and then you could have the rest of the day for yourselves?"

Cassie nodded. "That sounds like a good idea...Do we even dare to try to make it a surprise again this year?"

"Yeah, I think we do. After last year, they won't be expecting it. And, I say we be honest with them. I'll tell Cody that you two will be celebrating your anniversary that day, and we'll meet the next morning for a birthday breakfast."

"And I'll tell Zack the same thing..."

Bailey grins. "They'll never see it coming..."

Cassie grins right back. "Are you planning a birthday gift for Cody like his anniversary gift?"

Bailey blushes again. "I haven't decided yet..."

"Well, I could tell from the grin on his face that next day that he loved his gift..."

"He says he did..." Bailey pauses. "But he also said that that Patriots jersey I bought drives him crazy too..."

Cassie laughs. "So, what's the problem? Is it a bad thing that your boyfriend finds you irresistible in anything?"

Bailey smiled. "No, not at all. Speaking of gifts, do you still have their birthday gifts hidden away in your cabin?"

"Yeah, they're safe and sound..." Cassie pauses. "I still feel bad about using your idea for the anniversary gift though..."

"Don't be. I'm sure Zack will love it..."

"I hope so..."

_Meanwhile_

Zack and Cody are at the convenience shop on the deck getting their caffeine boosts and some snacks. As they are checking out, Zack turns to his brother.

"Think their back there planning our birthday again?"

"Probably...Of course, it is your anniversary too..."

Zack sighed. "I know. I still haven't found the right gift for her. I haven't had a locket fall from the sky like you did..."

"Well, you want me to try to do some snooping?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can ask Bailey if Cassie has mentioned anything she's had her eye on..."

Zack nods. "I would appreciate that..."

"If it there isn't, I can help you look for something if you want..."

"Thanks..." Zack pauses. "There is one thing I do know for sure."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"I'm finally going to tell her that I love her..."

Cody smiled. "Congratulations. I never thought I'd see the day you would tell a girl you loved her and actually meant it..."

"Hey!"

"Take it easy. I'm happy for you. And here's a lit bit of advice. There is no feeling in the world like hearing the woman you love tell you that she loves you too..."

Zack nods. "I hope so..."

"When Bailey told me, I wanted to go shout it from the skydeck..."

Zack smirks. "I'm surprised you didn't..."

"Well, after shouting to the world that my six month plan worked after she first kissed me, I thought maybe I shouldn't..."

Zack laughed. "Come on...We still have studying to do..."

_Back in the library_

Zack and Cody finally return with the caffeine and Bailey takes a sip of what Cody brought her. She immediately smiles.

"Cody, what is this? Its delicious!"

Cody smiled. "I told you I was making you my specialty. Its two parts French Vanilla cappuccino to one part hot chocolate..."

"Well, it's amazing...You should have made me one of these sooner..."

"I will note to myself that you like them..."

Zack rolled his eyes at them. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but can we focus and get back to work here?"

And with that, everyone returned to their work to get done what they needed to get done.

_To be Continued..._


	65. Boys to Men

_Chapter 65_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Midterm week came and went. All papers and projects were finished and the last exam had been turned in. Instead of everyone taking it easy, a certain group of four teens were all placing last minute touches on the next day's activities.

Cassie and Bailey were in Cassie's cabin busy putting together Zack's anniversary present. Cassie almost felt herself drowning in how much work it was taking. She could only shake her head at Bailey being able to have done this twice now.

"I don't see how you did this. I never realized how much went into doing this..."

Bailey smiled. "Consider it a labor of love. Every so often Cody and I look at ours and reminisce, and I know it was worth it..."

Cassie sighs. "I hope so...I still wonder what Zack has planned."

Bailey smiled to herself. Just the other night, Cody had asked her if Cassie had mentioned anything lately that she would like. Bailey hadn't remembered anything specifically, but gave Cody several ideas that he could pass along to Zack.

"I'm sure whatever he has planned, you'll love it..."

Cassie nodded and smiled. "You're right..." She paused and grinned. "So, does he have Cody helping him?"

Bailey was surprised but answered. "Well, he's using him as a sounding board..."

"I figured as much. As long as he doesn't have Cody planning it for him, I'm okay with that."

Bailey laughed. "Oh, I think you would know instantly if Cody had planned anything, it would be pretty elaborate..."

"That doesn't sound so bad..."

"Its not at all. He just loves to surprise me. And I love that he loves to surprise me. That's why I like it so much when I'm able to surprise him..."

"You two don't do anything half-way, do you?"

Bailey smiles and shakes her head. "No, we don't."

"Well, that works for you both, so go with it."

"I fully plan on doing that..."

_Meanwhile_

Zack and Cody are walking around the on ship mall trying to find Cassie the right anniversary gift.

"Okay, do you have tomorrow night planned?"

Zack nods. "Yeah, its all taken care of..."

"Good. I dropped your sport coat and khakis at the ship's dry cleaner. They will be ready to be picked up in the morning..."

"Thanks..."

"And you made your reservation already?"

"7:30..."

Cody nods. "Okay, looks like all we have left to do is find her a gift..."

Zack turns to his brother. "I really do appreciate all of your help."

"No problem. I've never seen you happier than you have been this past year, and Cassie is good for you..." Cody grins. "I'm just trying to make sure you don't screw this up..."

Zack smirks. "Thanks for the vote of confidence..."

"Bro, I'm just happy you finally have a serious girlfriend. I've only thought you might get serious about a girl once maybe twice before..."

"Yeah, who? Maddie?"

"She was the first one I thought of..."

"And the other?"

Cody smiled. "Max..."

"Dude...Besides, she disappeared, remember?"

"I know. But you have Cassie now. You chose well, Bro..."

Zack nods. "Thanks. You did alright yourself..."

Cody laughs. "Thanks. Best choice I ever made. Now, lets go find a Cassie a gift..."

Zack sighs. "What did Bailey say?"

"Cassie didn't specifically mention anything to her, but Bailey did give me the female perspective on things..."

"And?"

Cody smiled. "Well, let's just say the jewelry store is our first stop..."

The next morning, Bailey found herself waking up and turned to see if Cody was up too. Instead, she found herself watching him sleep for a little while. Unable to help herself, she leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. With that, Cody smiled and opened one of his eyes.

"Hey...Good morning..."

Bailey smiled. "Good morning to you. Happy Birthday."

"That's right...I'm 18 today. Do I look any older?"

"Well, I do see a few gray hairs this morning..."

Cody opened both eyes now. "What?"

Bailey laughed. "I was just teasing you, Codykins. You still look like you usual handsome self..."

Cody sighed. "Thanks. Well, I guess I can register to vote now and buy lottery tickets..."

"Feeling lucky today?"

Cody leaned in and kissed her. "I feel lucky everyday I get to spend with you..."

Bailey smiled again. "Good answer...So, what do you want to do today?"

Cody shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me..."

"Well, why don't we get up and dressed and grab some breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me..." Cody begins to stretch when he feels a muscle in his leg tighten up on him. "Ouch...ouch...ouch..."

"Sweetie, are you okay?"

Cody laughed. "Yeah, I guess its my old age catching up to me..."

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Your old age, huh?"

"Yeah, when you get to be my age, your body starts to fall apart on you..."

"Oh please, you're only a month older than I am..." She grins. "But if your body is falling apart on you, I guess I'll just have to cancel the surprise I have for you later..."

Cody sits right up. "Well, maybe I exaggerated things a little bit..."

Bailey grabs his hand. "Come on, I guess I'm going to have to help you shower to make sure you don't fall and hurt yourself..."

Cody grins. "If you insist..."

Cody and Bailey finally get out of bed, and after a lengthy shower, both get dressed and head out towards the dining room. When they get there, the run into Zack and Cassie about to head inside as well.

"Happy Birthday, Bro..."

"You too, Man..."

"You feeling any older?"

"Not really...Though I had a muscle tighten up on me this morning..."

"Same here. I told Bailey my body must be falling apart on me..."

Zack laughs. "Face it, Codester...We are officially men today..."

From behind them, they hear a voice. "Yes, you are..."

The four turn around to see Mr. Moseby.

"And as such, you can now be tried as an adult..."

Zack rolled his eyes. "I'll remember that..."

Moseby continued. "And as such, it is my responsibility as your chaperone while on board to get you two to sign these..." He hands them each a document.

Cody looks to Moseby. "What are these?"

"Its your registration for selective service..."

Zack looks up. "Our what?"

Cody sighs. "It means that if the U.S. Government has the need for another military draft, we are now eligible..."

"Oh..."

Moseby softens. "I'm sorry, boys...Federal law requires you do this on your 18th birthday..."

Zack and Cody nod and proceed to sign their registrations. Cassie and Bailey can both only look on, both hoping nothing ever comes of it. The thought of Tommy and Mitch is still fresh in their minds, and neither wants anything like that to happen to their boyfriends.

"Thank you, men...Carry on." With that Moseby, walks back to his office with their registrations.

Zack turns to everyone. "Well, that was a fun way to start off our birthday..."

Cassie rubs his back. "Come on, lets grab some breakfast and try to forget about it..."

The four walk into the dining room, and are greeted with a large chorus of "Surprise!" The twins are shocked to see all of their friends there with a big banner behind them simply stating, 'Happy 18th Birthday, Zack and Cody!'

_To be Continued..._


	66. The Other Anniversary

_Chapter 66_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Both of the twins looked around in surprise before turning back to their girlfriends.

"What's going on here?"

Bailey smiled. "We wanted to make sure we actually surprised you this year. We figure neither one of you would expect a breakfast birthday party..."

Cody smiled. "Never even entered my mind. Thank you, Sweetie..."

Zack wrapped his arm around Cassie. "Yeah, thank you. Of course, now we have to find Kirby and find out why he didn't tell us..."

Cassie smiled. "Because we didn't tell him..."

"Well, this looks like a birthday party, so let's have some fun..."

And that is just what they did. Everyone else wished them a happy birthday and everyone sat down so the waiter could come over and take their orders. While they waited on their food, everyone just shot the breeze and talked about all the things Zack and Cody could do now that they were 18. The waiter brought their food out and everyone dug in. After everyone was done, everyone sat there and relaxed. Finally, it was time for Zack and Cody to get their birthday gifts.

Cassie looked over at her roommate. "Addison, did you bring the two gifts down with you?"

Addison nodded. "Yeah, right here..." She reached down and pulled up to wrapped gifts, one noticeably smaller than the other.

The larger gift was passed around to Zack, and the smaller one was passed to Cody.

Bailey spoke up. "When we saw these in Boston, we figured you two would love these. We hope we were right..."

Cody smiled at her. "I'm sure I'll love it..." With that he proceeds to open the gift and is surprised to find a baseball enclosed in a glass case. Looking closer, he noticed that it has several signatures.

"Whoa. I see...Big Papi...Manny...Damon...Pedro...Schilling..." He turns to Bailey. "Is this what I think it is?"

She smiled. "Its signed by the entire 2004 World Series Championship team..."

Cody is shocked. "Wow..." He clears his head and leans over and kisses Bailey. "Thank you so much, Bails...I absolutely love it. I can't believe you did this..."

"Well, you've spent enough time converting me to the Nation..."

Zack looked down at his gift. "I wonder what this is then..." He rips into the wrapping paper, and he too finds a glass case. But in this case, its a basketball inside. He looks at it and too finds its signed.

"Wow...Pierce...Garnett...Allen...Rondo...Big Baby..."

Cassie smiled. "Its signed by the entire 2008 NBA Championship Team..."

Zack was in awe. "This is amazing...I can't believe you got this..."

"Well, I hope its made for a Happy Birthday..."

Zack smiled. "Definitely..." He paused. "And I have a feeling that the day is only going to get better..."

Soon, the birthday party was over and everyone went their separate ways. Zack and Cassie each went to their own cabins to change so they could meet up on the skydeck in thirty minutes. Once changed, they did meet up there. Zack turned to Cassie and smiled.

"You ready to celebrate our first anniversary?"

She smiled back. "Let's do it..."

The rest of the day, Zack and Cassie had fun. Since they were the more fun loving pair, they figured their anniversary should reflect that. They started off with a grudge match of miniature golf. It had been one of their first dates with Cassie winning by one stroke on the final hole. Zack was determined to even the score. And after 18 holes, they were tied which could only mean one thing...playoff holes. This went on for almost another 6 holes before the ship's captain ran them off for interrupting his daily game.

Both looked at each other and knew they had to get payback of some kind on him.

"So, what do you suggest?"

Cassie smiled. "How about we slip a laxative into his coffee?"

Zack paused. "Hmmm...That's evil. I'm in..."

So, while Cassie distracted the captain, Zack sneaked behind him and slipped a couple of laxatives into the captain's drink. They both circled back and watched as the captain continued his round. As he was lining up his shot, they both watched him start to double over in pain. He dropped his putter and ran away screaming. Zack and Cassie both slipped away until they thought they were safe and began to laugh hysterically.

"Okay, that was classic!"

"Yeah, that'll teach him to interrupt our game..."

Zack paused to look at Cassie. "You know, I never thought I'd meet a girl who loved a good prank as much as I did..."

Cassie smiled. "Well, he did deserve it..."

"Yeah...but your willingness to do that with me is just one of the reasons that...that..."

"What?"

Zack paused to try to build up his courage. "That I love you..."

Cassie stood back surprised. "Did you just say...?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah, I did...I just wanted you to know..."

Before he could finish, he found Cassie pressing her lips against his. When she pulled back, she was smiling. Zack stood there dumbfounded and could only mutter "Wow..."

Cassie laughed at his current state. "I hope that told you how I feel..."

"Does that mean...?"

"Yes, silly...I love you too..."

Zack's face broke into the biggest grin. "He was right..."

"Who was right about what?"

"Cody...He said there was no feeling in the world like when the girl you love tells you that she loves you too..."

Cassie smiled. "Well, it feels pretty good on this end too..."

Zack laughed. "He was also right that I would feel like going to shout it to the rest of the ship..."

Cassie laughed too. "Well, considering we will likely be the top two suspects in what happened to the captain, I saw we go find someplace to hide out..."

Zack nodded. "Places to hide. I think that leaves either a movie or a game of laser tag..."

"I say laser tag. That way I prove who would have won the golf game..."

"Oh, you are soooo on!"

And with that, Zack and Cassie were off. After a few spirited games of laser tag, both realized they needed to shower and change before they headed off to dinner. Zack walked Cassie back to her cabin, and he stopped to think. Cassie noticed this.

"Everything okay?"

Zack sighs. "I was just thinking. I know we have reservations at one of the nicest restaurants on the ship, but it just doesn't seem to flow with the rest of our day so far..."

Cassie nods. "You're right...So, what do we do?"

Zack paused and smiled. "Why don't we skip the fancy restaurant and go get a pizza?"

Cassie smiled. "Now you're talking..."

"Good, I'll be back in 30...And dress...however you want..."

An hour later, they found themselves sitting in the ship's pizzeria sharing a pizza and some sodas.

Cassie smiled. "You were right. This is definitely more us..."

"I agree...You ready for your gift?"

"Sure..."

Zack reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small wrapped gift. "Here you go..."

Cassie unwraps the gift only to find another velvet box inside. Opening it, she sees the most beautiful pair of silver heart earrings with peridots in them and matching silver ring with peridots encrusted all around it. She looks up at Zack and smiles. "They're beautiful..."

"Well, I figured I'd go with your birthstone...I hope you like them."

"I love them..." She proceeds to slip her current earrings off and puts on her new ones. "She holds up the ring. "Would you like the honors?"

Zack smiled and slowly slid the ring on to her finger.

"Okay, you're turn..."

"You mean there's more than the signed basketball?"

"Of course..." She picks up a large box and hands it to him. He opens it and looks inside. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yeah, I thought you might like an album of photos of our first year too..."

"Cool..." He begins to flip through it. "How did you get a picture of me having to woo Agnes?"

Cassie laughed and slid in next to him. "Its called a camera phone..."

Zack and Cassie proceed to spend the next several hours just going through the album laughing about everything that happened the previous year.

_Meanwhile, in Cody and Bailey's cabin_

"So, what do you want to do tonight?"

"Doesn't matter to me. What do you want to do?"

"Cody, its your birthday. You get to decide."

"Bails, I'm spending my birthday with you. That's all I want..."

Bailey smiled. "Well, I suppose I won't deny you that..." She paused. "How do you think things are gong for Zack and Cassie?"

Cody smiled. "I'm sure they're doing just fine. Especially with what Zack has planned..."

"And what is that?"

Cody paused. "I guess I can tell you now. Zack is planning on telling Cassie that he loves her today..."

Bailey is surprised. "Really? Zack?"

Cody laughs. "Yes, Zack..."

Bailey pauses and laughs. "Well, let's just hope he does it better than you did..."

Cody is taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"You just let it slip out when you were telling me about the international dateline..."

"And once I realized what I did, I told you that I loved you properly..." He pauses and teases her. "And either way, I did say it first..."

"Okay, okay...you did say it first. I'll give you that..."

Cody smiled. "And every day since then, I've made sure that I told you I loved you..."

Bailey smiled. "Yeah, you have. Was that your one for today?"

Cody leans in and kisses her cheek. "I love you." He kisses her other cheek. "I love you." He kisses her lips. "I love you...Shall I continue?"

Bailey has grown flushed. "You better...because I love you too..." This time, she is the one who kissed him. As their kiss grows more and more passionately, they both fall back on to the bed. Bailey finally pulls back. Breathlessly, she asks. "Do you want me to go slip into something else?"

Cody shook his head. "Not a chance. Don't even think of getting out of this bed with me..."

Bailey smiled. "Well, if you insist..." And with that, she pulls Cody into her for another passionate kiss.

_Meanwhile, back at the pizzeria_

Zack sighs. "I don't want this night to end..."

"Me either..."

Zack leans in to kiss her when he is interrupted by his phone vibrating. "This better be an emergency..."

He pulls out his phone and sees he has a text message. _"I'm crashing with Addison tonight, the cabin is all yours. Woody."_

Zack laughs and shows the message to Cassie. She blushes and then smiles. "Well, shall we then?"

_To be Continued..._


	67. Family Emergency

_Chapter 67_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

The next morning, as Zack and Cassie were leaving his cabin wearing the exact same clothes from the night before, Cody and Bailey were coming out of theirs. The four just looked at each other, and Cody and Bailey smiled at each other.

"This looks familiar..."

Bailey laughed. "I know. Two people caught wearing the same clothes as the night before. Now, where do I remember that from?"

Cody rubbed his chin. "It seems to me it happened on this boat, but I'm still trying to place it..."

Zack rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah...We gave you guys pure hell after we found out you two shared a cabin for the first time. Alright, let's hear it..."

Cody smiled. "Bro...you dog!"

Bailey began to laugh. "Now Cody...Don't hate the player, hate the game..."

This time, Cassie rolled her eyes. "Whatever...I'm sure what happened in Zack's cabin last night was a lot more innocent that what went on in yours..."

Bailey smiled. "Hey, we're two consenting adults in love and in a committed relationship..."

Cassie smirked. "Cody may be a consenting adult, but it most places, you're probably still considered a minor..."

Bailey paused. "Ohh...That never entered my mind."

Cody wrapped his arm around her. "Its okay, Bails. I already thought of it and researched it. As long as we avoid the states of Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, North Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming for the next month, we should be fine..."

Bailey turned to Cody. "Really? You could get in trouble in those places for us showing our love to each other?"

"Well, most have a close in age exception, but a few are pretty strict..."

"I can't believe that. What kind of stupid laws are those?" Bailey paused again. "Should we take it easy until my birthday to be on the safe side?"

"That's your call, Bails. I'll abide by whatever you decide..."

"I just don't want you to get into any trouble. Would you mind waiting till my birthday?"

Cody smiled. "Anything for you."

Zack just laughed. "Tough luck, Bro..That's going to be rough on you."

Cody just smiled. "If you are insinuating that I can't get enough of my girlfriend, then I proudly admit you are correct. Neither now nor ever will I ever be able to get enough of her..."

Bailey smiled and leaned up to kiss Cody's cheek. "And that goes double for me!"

Zack pulled Cody aside. "Ummm, just for future reference, what did your research show for the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut?"

Cody laughed. "Its 16..."

Zack sighed in relief.

Bailey turned back to Cassie. "So, how did your night go?"

Cassie smiled. "It went good..."

Cody turned to his brother. "And did you...?"

Zack smiled. "I did..."

"And?"

Cassie answered for Zack. "I told him that I love him too."

Bailey smiled. "Well, congratulations to you both. Looks like yesterday was a success all around..."

"I think so...And Cody, did you have a good birthday?"

"I did. I got to spend it with my Bails..."

Cassie turned to Bailey. "Did you tell him what else he could have done yesterday?"

Bailey looks at Cassie confused and then she remembers. "Oh no...I completely forgot!"

"What could I have done, Sweetie?"

"Well, we're in international waters. You two could have legally bought alcohol..."

Cody shrugged. "No big deal to me. I still remember what those pain killers did to me. I'm in no hurry to feel like that again..."

Zack shrugs too. "Besides, I think Dad wants to be there to buy us our first drinks. Something about a Martin family tradition..."

"Either way, I'm kind of hungry. Let's go eat..."

The S.S. Tipton was still about a week away from Panama, and thus, a week away from spring break. Spring Break plans varied among the students. Marcus was heading back to Atlanta to see Melanie and his parents. Woody and Addison were heading to Chicago this year to spend time with Addison's family. London was flying off to meet her father again, thought no one was quite sure where that was going to be. Bailey, Cody, Zack and Cassie were planning on hanging with ship as Moseby said any student staying would have full access to the all parts of the ship including the ledo deck.

But before they could get to spring break, that week was a big week especially for everyone going to college. It was time for the AP tests. Most everyone else only had two tests to prepare for, but Cody and Bailey both had four. Neither was really all that worried about them as both had scored fives on all of their previous AP tests. And, it wasn't like they had a set material to study for anyways. So, they just chose to try to be as rested and as fresh as possible before they went in.

First up was the Environmental Science Exam. It was broken down into two sections – 100 multiple choice and the free response section. Cody and Bailey both finished with time to spare in each section and went back to review their work. After it was over, both felt real good about how they had done.

Second up was the AP English Exam. This time, everyone was taking the test. It was set up similar to the Environmental Science Exam. Again, everyone took their time with it and everyone walked out of it feeling like they at least knew what they were talking about.

Unfortunately for Cody and Bailey, their United States Government and Politics Exam was the same afternoon as the English exam. And its set up was a little different. They had forty-five minutes to do sixty multiple choice questions followed by one hundred minutes to do four free response questions. However, any fear they had about taking this one after the English test was soon quashed. Cody and Bailey breezed through it and both found it rather easy.

Finally, on the Friday before spring break, everyone was again gathered for the United States History Exam. The exam was to last a little over three hours and again split into sections for multiple choice and free response. Everyone found it challenging, but that was to be expected as it is considered the most difficult of all advanced placement exams. Most of the teens had no clue how they did, but Cody and Bailey secretly thought they did pretty well.

Once the test was over, everyone just hung out on the skydeck, taking it easy. After the previous week, everyone was in the mood for some relaxation.

At that time, the S.S. Tipton was finally in line for it trip through the Panama Canal. So, that afternoon, London's helicopter would be taking her, Woody, Addison and Marcus on into Panama City so they could catch their connecting flights. Finally, they all boarded the copter and were off.

Bailey, Cody, Zack and Cassie were just sitting back relaxing, talking about all they were going to do the next week when Mr. Moseby hurried up to them.

"Zack, Cody...I need to talk to you both!"

Zack sighed. "Whatever it was, Mr. Moseby, we didn't do it!"

Moseby was trying to catch his breath. "That's not it at all. I just got a call from your mother. There's been a family emergency!"

Cody turned to Moseby. "What happened?"

"Its your grandmother. She had a heart attack and collapsed. They got her to the hospital and quickly took her up to surgery. That's when your mother called me. We need to get you both to Seattle as soon as possible!"

Cody and Zack both just stared at Moseby in complete shock.

Bailey and Cassie were in shock too, but Bailey quickly spoke. "Make it for four people. We're going with them!"

_To be Continued..._


	68. The Night Shift

_Chapter 68_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

When asked later what they remembered about what happened in the following hours, neither Zack nor Cody could tell you that they remembered much. Neither remembered Moseby saying that another helicopter was coming for them. Neither remembered Bailey and Cassie going to pack bags for all four of them. Neither remembered getting on the helicopter to head to Panama City. And neither remembered much of the flight from Panama City to Seattle though both could remember being on a plane. All they did remember was trying to call their mother to get updates on their grandmother. And the only reason they remembered being on the plane was because they knew they were out of phone contact while on it. To them, it was almost a blur how they ended up in the Seattle airport and in a cab on their way to St. Joseph's Hospital.

Once at the hospital, the quickly found their way to their mother, Aunt Karen and Uncle Mitch. After hugging her boys and their girlfriends, Carey finally was able to explain what happened.

"Mom was cooking breakfast for us all when she got pale, and then she collapsed. We immediately called the paramedics, and they quickly got here. According to her doctor, she had suffered a heart attack..."

Cody responded. "What's her prognosis?"

Carey shrugged. "She's still in surgery. We won't know anything until she comes out of it..."

Everyone sat in the waiting room not being able to do anything. The only thing that really happened in the next couple of hours was Arwin showing up to be there for Carey and the boys. While he comforted her, Bailey and Cassie did their best to comfort Cody and Zack. Both twins immensely appreciated what their girlfriends were doing, but neither were in any condition to be all that talkative until they had heard about their grandmother.

Eventually, in the early hours of the morning, the doctor finally came to the waiting room.

"Are you Mrs. Rhodes' family?"

After everyone nodded, the doctor began. "She must be really tough. There were several times we thought we were going to lose her, but she survived the surgery. We had to do a double bypass, but we think we have cleared most of the blockages. Eleanor is currently in the ICU in critical condition, but we have high hopes that she is going to pull through this. Of course, after this, she is going to have to make numerous lifestyle changes mainly including getting more exercise and changing her diet..."

Carey nodded. "Thank you, Doctor. We'll make sure she abides by your recommendations."

Mitch nodded too. "Absolutely. I'll make sure she eats better myself. When can we see her?"

"Well, she is still unconscious, but you may go a few people at a time to see her. I will advise you that she will probably be out of it for quite some time..."

Cody turned to look at his Mom. "Mom, why don't you, Aunt Karen and Uncle Mitch go first. We'll be here..."

Carey, Karen and Mitch all get up and head towards the ICU.

Cody finds himself finally able to relax a little bit and slumps back into his seat on the hospital couch. Bailey wraps her arm around him and lets him rest his head on her shoulder.

"How are you holding up?"

"Better now that I know Grandma is going to be okay..."

"Like the doctor said, she's tough. I think you and Zack get you fortitude as you say from her..."

Cody gently laughs. "Maybe so..." He raises his head and turns to Bailey. "Thank you..."

"For what?"

"For taking care of me today when I had no idea what was going on...For spending the first day of your last spring break of high school in a hospital waiting room with me..."

"Cody, I took care of you because I love you. And I'm here with you because this is where I'm supposed to be. I know if the situation was reversed, you would be right there with me taking care of me..."

Cody nodded. "Yeah, I would."

"That's why we work so well together. We're both ready and willing to carry the other when they need it."

"Bails, I would do anything for you."

"I know. But right now, its my turn to do anything for you. So, as long you need to, lean on me."

"I think when Mom, Aunt Karen and Uncle Mitch get back, I'll tell them to head back to Grandma's to get some rest. I'm sure they've had a long day."

Bailey nodded. "That's probably a good idea..."

"Why don't you and Cassie head back with them. Zack and I will wait here. I'm so wired, I'll doubt I'll be able to sleep at all..."

Bailey shakes her head. "Uh uh. If you're staying here, then I'm staying here. Besides, I want to be here for Ellie too. I've only known her a few months, but she's already made me feel like one of the family..."

"Because you are..."

About that time, Carey, Karen and Mitch all return to the waiting room.

"Well, Ellie is still out of it. Kind of hard to see her hooked up to all of those machines."

"Yeah, but the important thing is she made it through..."

Cody looked up. "Why don't you three head back to Grandma's house. The four of us will take the night shift..."

Carey pauses. "I don't know...what if something happens?"

"Then we'll be here, and we'll call you. You three must be exhausted..."

"Well..."

"Then its settled..." Cody turns to Arwin. "Arwin, will you see that they all get back to the house and make sure they get some rest?"

Arwin nods. "Will do."

Carey sighs. "Alright. But, if anything happens, you better call us immediately."

"We will."

And with that, Arwin leads Carey, Karen and Mitch out of the hospital. The four teens continue to sit around the waiting room. Finally, Zack speaks.

"This is all my fault..."

Cassie turns to him. "How is this your fault?"

"When I heard we were going to be spending spring break going through the Panama Canal, I said there was nothing I would rather do less. I guess this is the fates telling me I was wrong..."

Cody turned to his brother. "Don't think like that. The doctor said Grandma should pull through. Maybe its good this happened now. If it happened later, maybe the damage would have been too great. This way, Grandma has a chance to recover..."

Zack nods. "I hope so..."

"Besides, look at it this way. How ironic is it that we are here right now?"

Zack looks at his brother confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean its been almost 18 years to the day that we were last here..."

"I guess...thought I can't say I have any memory of when we were a few days old..."

"You don't?"

"Should I?"

Cody laughs. "Well, Dad says you were flirting with the nursery workers even then..."

Everyone laughs at that.

"Alright, its 2 AM. Anyone have any suggestions about how we pass the the early morning? I mean, I guess we are surrounded by magazines from...2007."

Cody picks one up. "Yeah, according this one, they say this young guy named Barack Obama has no chance of winning..."

Bailey starts looking through her purse. "Well, I still have the deck of cards in my purse from our flight to Capetown..."

Everyone is is game. So, for the next several hours, they sit around a table in the waiting room playing cards. Every once in a while, they take a break for more caffeine. Before they know it, they see the sun shining in through the windows. And of course, with daybreak comes the return of Mitch, Karen, Carey and Arwin. After they double check with the teens, Carey is off to try to find the doctor.

They boys again head off for more caffeine and Karen takes the chance to sit down with the girls.

"I don't think we've been formally introduced. I'm Karen Rhodes. I'm Carey's sister and the boys' aunt..."

"I'm Bailey and this is Cassie..."

Karen smiled. "I know. I've heard all about you both. Mom and Carey have nothing but the nicest things to say about you both. I'm glad to finally meet you myself, I just wish it was under better circumstances."

Bailey nods. "Well, it looks like Ellie is going to be okay..."

"I hope so..."

The boys return with more caffeine at about the same time that Carey returns with the doctor. The doctor looks around before he speaks. "Well, it looks like she is doing a lot better. So much better in fact that if everything keeps going as we expect, I think we can move her into her own room by tonight...She should be up and about in not time."

_To be Continued..._


	69. Two Surprise Visitors

_Chapter 69_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

With the good news about Ellie, the four teens soon felt the effects of being awake for over 24 hours including traveling across North America. Soon, all the caffeine in the world wouldn't have any affect. Carey told them they could head back to the house and get some sleep, but all four wanted to stay there. So, they grabbed a couple of couches in the waiting room and laid down. With them asleep, Mitch, Carey, Arwin and Karen headed for the cafeteria to get some coffee.

When they returned, the four adults had to laugh at the site in front of them. On one couch, Zack was laid back with his feet propped up on one of the tables. Cassie was lying against him with her head on his shoulder. On the other couch, Cody and Bailey were laying down with Cody lying behind Bailey and spooning her.

Karen turned to her sister. "They really are all grown up, aren't they?"

Carey nodded. "Yeah, they are. They just turned 18 last week..."

"And it looks like you may have two future daughters in law..."

Carey nodded again. "Yeah..." Carey let herself take in the view for a moment. She couldn't help but remember how awkward Zack seemed around Cassie last year in Sydney, and here they were now as comfortable as could be with each other. And Cody and Bailey. She remembered she about flipped her lid when she found out they were just sleeping in the same bed together. But seeing them now, she couldn't help but notice how completely natural they looked. It was like they fit together perfectly.

The rest of the morning and early afternoon went on without much change. Ellie was still slowly improving and the teens were still asleep. The doctor stopped by every so often to update them on her condition, and everything seemed on track to move her to a private room later. About mid afternoon, the four teens first begin to stir from their slumber. Both couples were eventually sitting up. A nurse told them there was a room for families to freshen up in with a couple of showers they could use. The guys told the girls to go first and they would go after them. When they grabbed their bags and headed on, Carey took the chance to sit down with her boys.

"I'm so glad you both could be here. And I really appreciate you all be willing to wait here last night..."

"No problem, Mom..."

"Yeah, we're glad we can be here for Grandma..."

Carey nodded. "So tell me, what's been new with you guys at sea. I mean, well besides finding your long lost great uncle..."

Cody laughed. "We just finished midterms the week before and our AP tests last week..."

Zack smirked. "Yeah, talk about wall to wall fun times..."

Carey smiled. "And then you had to immediately come here instead of enjoying your spring break..."

"Don't worry about it, Mom."

"Well, Grandma seems to be doing better..." She sighs. "Of course, I seriously doubt she will be able to come for you graduation now..."

Cody smiled. "Who's going to tell her that?"

Carey laughed. "Not me...If know her, she'll be hellbent on being there..."

Zack laughed too. "Even if she has to be in a hospital bed..."

"Very true..." Carey pulls both her boys into a hug. "Well, I want you both to know how proud of you both your grandmother and I are. And Zack, I'm ecstatic that you and Cassie will be at UCONN. I'll have both my little men only a couple hours drive away..."

Zack laughed. "Just make sure you call before you visit..."

Carey laughed too. "Well, I just hope you get a roommate you can deal with..."

"Already done, Mom. Woody and Addison are going to UCONN too. Cassie and I will be rooming with them..."

Carey smiled. "That's great. Its good you guys will have other people around you know. But, just because you do, don't be afraid to branch out and make other friends..."

"I'll try to be sociable, Mom..."

Carey turned to Cody. "And what about you and Bailey, heard anything from your landlord?"

"Mrs. Thomas is supposed to be faxing us the lease on Bailey's birthday in a few weeks."

Carey nodded. "And have you heard of anyone else going there?"

"No one at Seven Seas High, but Bob mentioned something about hearing about someone else going there..."

About that time, Cassie and Bailey both returned looking showered and refreshed.

"You two are up."

Zack and Cody grab their bags and head off to the showers. Cassie and Bailey take their places on the couch next to Carey.

Cassie spoke up. "How are you holding up, Carey?"

"A lot better than I was 24 hours ago..." Carey paused. "I really appreciate you both being here. It means a lot to me, I know it means a lot to my sons, and I'm sure it will mean a lot to Mom..."

Bailey smiled. "If there is anything we can do to help, just let us know..."

Carey smiled. "You already are. You're taking care of my boys for me."

Cassie smiled too. "Well, every once in a while they prove they are worth keeping around..."

Carey laughed. "I know that feeling..."

Bailey turned to Carey. "Speaking of keeping them around, we couldn't help but notice that Arwin has been here too..."

"Yes, he has..."

"Good...We don't need to know anything else..."

Carey smiled again. "That's good. Because if my personal life was in play, so would both of yours..."

"Fair enough..."

"Anyways, the boys tell me you all have had a busy past few weeks..."

Bailey nodded. "Yeah, but I think we're pretty much done with the major things until finals..."

Cassie sighs. "Thank goodness..."

Carey laughs again. "They were also updating me about UCONN and Yale. I'm glad things are starting to get finalized..."

"So, what's it been like getting to know an uncle you never knew before..."

"Interesting. I wish I had gotten to know him before, but I slowly getting to know him now. And his story just breaks my heart..."

Cassie nods. "We know. We both shuddered having to watch Zack and Cody have to sign their registrations for selective service..."

Carey shudders. "I know I would be proud of both them if they were serving our country...but at the same time, those are my babies and my first instinct is to protect them at all costs..."

Bailey nodded. "I know. I would be proud of Cody, but I would be worried sick until he came back to me..."

"Well, fortunately there hasn't been a draft in almost forty years. Lets hope there isn't another one anytime soon..."

Cassie pauses. "Well, look at it this way. After being on a ship for the past few years, odds are they would be a better fit for the navy. And I'm sure they would probably stick Cody down in the galley..."

Bailey sighs. "That reminds me. I need to find some place in New Haven to run. Living off Cody's cooking will not be good for my figure..."

Carey laughs. "Why do you think I started jogging again when you all came home last summer..."

This time, it was Zack and Cody's turn to return looking showered and refreshed. Once back, everyone just sat around the waiting room chatting when the doctor showed up again.

"We're in the process of moving Mrs. Rhodes. We're taking her to room 522 in the cardiac ward. If you all would like, there is another waiting room there that will be much closer to her."

Everyone gathered up their things and made way to the 5th floor waiting room. Carey, Karen and Mitch all went to check on Ellie, but she was still asleep. They returned to the waiting room when everyone heard Mitch's stomach growl.

Cody smiled. "Why don't you four head down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. We'll wait here, and then we can head down when you guys get back."

The four adults nod, and they head out. As the four teens wait, Bailey turns to Cody.

"You know, while we're here, I'd love to see the room you were born in..."

"Yeah?"

Bailey smiled. "Sure. I'd like to see where my future started..."

Cody smiled. "Alright. Lets go ask the nurse at the desk where the birthing center is. We can check it out after dinner..."

Cody and Bailey walk out to the nurse's desk, but the lone nurse on duty is on the phone. Cody excuses himself to run to the men's room, and Bailey waits at the desk. As she stands and waits, she notices two older women come up to the desk as well. Unable to help it, she overhears the two women talking and notices she hears Ellie's name. Figuring she might be able to help them herself, she interrupts them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I couldn't help but overhear you were wondering about Ellie Rhodes..."

The younger of the two nods. "Yes, my mother has known her for a very long time..."

Bailey smiled. "She's in Room 522. She's still sleeping."

The women nod. "Are you her granddaughter?"

Bailey shakes her head. "No...Well, not really. Her grandson, Cody is my boyfriend."

They both nod, and at that time Cody returns and stands next to Bailey. The older woman just starts staring at him and shouts. "Oh my God!"

The other woman turns to her. "Mom, are you okay?"

Of course, this has drawn Cody and Bailey's attention. The older woman is still staring and is now pointing at Cody. "He looks just like Mitch...He looks just like your father!"

_To be Continued..._

**Author's Note: Never let it be said I don't listen to those who review my story. You should know that the warm reception to the character of Ellie caused me to change direction. She was meant to die, but I've reworked it so she can live and I get the story I want to tell. And for reference, I'm thinking the final chapter of Senior Year will be around 90. That's 1 ½ times as long as Cailey on Deck and has a nice round feel to it.**


	70. The Other Side of the Story

_Chapter 70_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Cody and Bailey just looked at the older woman in shock. They weren't the only ones. Who they assumed was her daughter looked quite confused as well.

"Mom, what are you talking about?"

But the older woman was adamant. "That young man looks just like your father, Mitch did when he was younger..." She turned to Cody. "Who are you?"

Cody paused. "I'm Cody Martin..."

The older woman smiled. "You're Ellie's grandson..."

Cody was still confused. "Yes, Ma'am..."

"You look so much like your great uncle did when he was younger..."

"So I've been told...But you said my great uncle was your daughter's father?"

"Yes, he was..."

Cody turned to Bailey. "Uncle Mitch never told us he had a daughter..."

Bailey was about to say something when the older woman interrupted her. "How could he tell you anything? He died 70 years ago..."

Cody and Bailey turned to each other again. "It can't be..."

Bailey nodded. "I think it is!"

Cody turned back to the older woman. "Is your name Amy by chance?"

Now it was the older woman's turn to look confused. "Yeah...How would you know that?"

"Uncle Mitch told us about you..."

"You keep saying he told you things. But that's impossible, he died in World War II..."

Bailey finally answered. "Ummm...No, he didn't."

"What are you talking about?"

"He's actually downstairs in the cafeteria with my mom, my aunt and my mom's friend..."

"But...but...but...How is that possible?"

"Well, we found him in Guam a couple of months ago..."

"What was he doing in Guam? And why did he never come back for me?"

Cody sighed. He realized this was a dicey situation. "I think that's something you should ask him yourself..."

The old woman paused and tears started to form from her eyes. "He's really here?"

Cody and Bailey nod. "Yeah, he is..."

The older woman slumps into a chair. "Oh my God..."

Cody pulls Bailey aside. "What should we do?"

Bailey pauses. "I don't know. Should we go get Mitch?"

"I guess. And what did she mean about him having a daughter? If that's true..."

"I know...Why don't you go get him, and I'll stay here to see what I can find out?"

Cody nods. "Okay, I'll try to be back as soon as I can." And with that Cody heads off. Bailey walks over to the two women.

"Cody has gone to find his great uncle..."

Amy looks up and nods, but its evident she is still in disbelief.

Cody has made it to the basement and sees everyone at a table over in the corner. He quickly walks over there when his mother notices him.

"Cody? Is everything okay with Mom?"

"Yeah, Grandma is fine. Something else has come up though..."

"What?"

Cody turns to Mitch. "Amy is here..."

Mitch looks up at Cody is surprise. "What?"

"Yeah, she saw me and started going on about how much I look like you used to..."

Mitch pauses. "Well, tell her to leave. I have no desire to see her!"

Cody pauses. "I think you are going to want to..."

Mitch shakes his head. "There is nothing she can say that will make me want to see her..."

Cody cringed. "What if I said she was here with your daughter?"

"What? I don't have a daughter!"

"I'm just telling you what she said..."

Mitch sighs. "Fine. Where is she?"

"She's upstairs by the nurse's station."

Mitch gets up to head there, and of course, everyone else at the table gets up to follow him. The elevator ride is eerily quiet as everyone watches Mitch fume. Finally, the elevator arrives at the fifth floor and Mitch storms out. As he approaches the nurse's desk, he stops in his tracks. It may have been 70 years, but he would still recognize Amy anywhere. And the woman standing next to her...she was the spitting image of his own mother.

Amy happened to look up as well. And she too had no problem recognizing Mitch. Seeing that it was true that he was live, she could do nothing but break down in tears. Everyone else just stood there not daring to say a word.

Finally, Mitch spoke. "Well, I guess we meet again..."

Amy just looks at him, but can't help herself and immediately runs at him and throws her arms around him and continues to sob into his shoulder. However, Mitch doesn't make a move. And then in a move that surprises everyone, she pulls back and begins to pound his chest.

"How could you? How could you just leave me like that? You let me think you were dead! I thought you loved me!"

Mitch pulls back. "And I thought I could say the same thing about you, but I guess I was wrong!"

Amy just looks at him. "How can you say that? I've loved you from almost the day I met you. And I've loved you every day since then..."

Mitch smirks. "Well, I can think of one day that you didn't!"

"What are you talking about?"

"When I was finally able to come home, you know what I saw? I saw you getting married! That ripped the heart right out of me! I really did truly die that day!"

Amy steps back and gasps. "You...you...you were there?"

"Yeah. Excuse me if I don't believe you loved me when I saw that..."

"It wasn't what you think..."

Mitch smirked again. "I wonder how many other guys have been told that very thing..."

"Well, in this case its true. Obviously, you didn't stick around long enough or you would have seen me dump him at the alter!"

"What does that matter? The fact is you were still at the alter in the first place!"

"Not because I wanted to be! My parents forced me into it!"

"Right..."

"Its true. They didn't want to lose face because their daughter was an unwed mother!"

"Speaking of which, why are you telling my family that I have a daughter?"

"Because its true!"

"How is that possible?"

This time Amy smirked. "Do you not remember how we said goodbye before you left for basic training?"

Mitch paused. "Oh..." He recovered though. "But how do you know its mine?"

Amy was fuming. "Because if she is not yours then Michelle is the second coming! And don't you ever question my fidelity to you! You have been my one and only!"

"Michelle?"

"Yes, I named her after her father..."

At that moment, the other older woman walks up. "That would be me. I'm Michelle..."

_To be Continued..._


	71. The Awakening

_Chapter 71_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Mitch could only stare at the woman standing in front of him. Yes, she did look an awful lot like his mother, but could it really be true? Could he really have a daughter that he knew nothing about? Did he have grandchildren? Maybe even great grandchildren. Finally, he knew he had to speak.

"I have no idea what to say. I never knew it was possible that I had a daughter. If I had known..."

Michelle nods. "It sounds like there has been a lot of pain and misunderstanding in the past. I won't lie, I wish I had a father growing up, but Mom always told me that you were a war hero who died for your country. And now I find out you were alive this whole time. But, after hearing what you said, I guess I can understand. Right now, I want to get to know my father. Is it too late for that?"

Mitch shakes his head. "I don't want it to be..."

Finally, Carey speaks up. "It sounds like the three of you need to sit down and talk. Why don't the three of you head back to Mom's house. That way, you will have all the privacy you need..."

Mitch turns to her. "What about Ellie? I just can't leave my sister..."

"We'll be here. We promise to call if there are any changes. Besides, you know she would be telling you the same thing I am."

Mitch nods. "Knowing her, yeah..."

Michelle turns to Carey. "I guess that makes us cousins. I would like to get to know all of my new family if possible."

Carey smiled. "We would like that. This is my sister, Karen, and you've already met one of my twin sons, Cody."

"Twins?"

"Yeah, they seem to run in the family..."

Michelle smiles. "That would explain my twin granddaughters..."

Mitch turns to her. "Granddaughters?"

Carey smiled again. "See, you all have a lot to talk about..."

Amy, Mitch and Michelle agree and leave to head off to Ellie's house. Once they've left, Zack and Cassie walk out of the waiting room and notice everyone looks like they are kind of on edge.

"Did we miss something?"

Everyone looks their way and begins to laugh.

"What?"

Carey shakes her head. "Let's head back into the waiting room, and we'll fill you both in..."

After filling them in, Zack and Cassie just look at everyone in surprise. "You're serious?"

Cody nods. "Yup. Looks like we have cousins after all. And twins to boot..."

Zack just shakes his head. "This family got real interesting all of a sudden..."

Bailey laughs. "Its actually a good thing. Cousins can be pretty cool..."

Cassie smiles. "Yeah, they can be..."

Zack shrugs. "Do we even know how old they are?"

"No, that part wasn't mentioned, but I'm sure we'll all find out soon enough..."

Cody sat back and began to laugh. "Grandma's going to wake up and be surprised at everything she's missed..."

Carey sighs. "Tell me about it. But right now, I'd take her waking up right now..." She pauses. "Why don't the four of you head down to the cafeteria, I'm sure you're starving."

The four teens nod and head out. After getting their food, the sit around the table. Of course, everything that happened earlier is still on their minds.

Bailey sighs. "If I hadn't seen what just happened with my own two eyes, I would think it was something that only an evil hack could come up with..."

Cassie nods. "Tell me about it. Her parents were actually going to force her to marry some guy?"

Cody turns to Bailey. "I have a whole new level of appreciation for your Dad now..."

Bailey rolls her eyes at him, but she isn't able to keep from laughing. "I told you he was just a big teddy bear..."

"Compared to Amy's parents, he's Winnie the Pooh..."

Zack and Cassie can't help but laugh at that. Zack turns to his brother. "So, what do you think our twin cousins are like?"

"I don't know..."

"Think they are a lot a like or as different as night and day as we are?"

Cody shrugs. "Guess we'll find out if we ever meet them..."

Zack laughs. "Maybe they'll end up at Seven Seas High and carry on our tradition. I'm sure Mr. Moseby would love that..."

Everyone laughs at that.

Cody pauses. "You know, I think he actually would. I don't think he would ever admit it, but he's going to miss us all next year..."

"Of course he is...We've made his life interesting for the last six years..."

"Well, maybe us for the first three, but I like to think I've been pretty good the past three..."

Zack smirks. "Oh, you may not pull any pranks anymore, but I know you've found ways to still get under his skin..." He turns to Bailey. "The both of you..."

"How have we done that?"

"Hmm, let me think. Your attempt to save the whales ring a bell?"

Cody and Bailey turn to each other and shrug. "Okay, maybe a little..."

Zack and Cassie just laugh. The four continue to finish their meal. Zack and Cassie decided to get dessert. Cody turns to Bailey. "I think I'm going to go up and check on Grandma..."

"I'll come with you..." She turns to Zack and Cassie. "We'll see you both in a little bit..."

Cody and Bailey head back to the elevator and ride up to the fifth floor. They make their way to Ellie's room and walk inside. Quietly, they walk over to her hospital bed. Seeing her hooked up to all the machines and tubes is hard for them.

"Wow..."

Bailey rubs Cody's back. "Those machines are helping her get better..."

"I know. And I want her to get better..."

Bailey grabs his chin so she can look him in the eyes. "And she will. She's tough..." Bailey is about to say something else when she is interrupted.

"Do I really look that bad?"

_To be Continued..._

**Author's Note: Yeah, a sort of short chapter, I know. But I promise I have ten more in reserves, so if I'm feeling generous, I may post another one tonight. And people have asked if there is going to be a third, and I have already mapped out part of it. Three characters of old will return in some capacity or another. And again, there will be short episodes that will bridge the summer months. After reading some comments, I can say a few things for certain. 1) Cody and Bailey will never break up in my stories. 2) Bailey won't get pregnant in any of my stories until after college. 3) My stories are intended to be more romantic comedies with drama and angst sprinkled in. But I have no desire to write pure drama and angst because quiet frankly, its no fun to write. So, if the three things I listed are what you are looking for, my stories aren't for you then.  
**


	72. Must Be the Meds

_Chapter 72_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

"Grandma? You're awake?"

Ellie laughs weakly. "That's the rumor. Now tell me, shouldn't you two be on the boat right now?"

"We came as soon as we heard you were rushed to the hospital."

"No need to be missing class because of me..."

Bailey smiled. "Its okay. We're on spring break right now."

Ellie sighed. "Even worse. You're missing time to have fun in the sun together because of me?"

Cody smiled. "The sun is shining here too..."

Ellie just stares at him. "This is Seattle. All it does is rain..."

Bailey laughs. "Well, it seems you are able to make jokes. How are you feeling?"

"I feel great...Of course, that may be the pain meds talking..."

Cody laughed. "Been there before..."

Ellie smiles. "That's right..." She turns to Bailey. "What was he like whacked out of his mind?"

Bailey smiles. "He had trouble walking and speaking coherent sentences. But, even still, he tried to be chivalrous and walk me back to my cabin."

"How did that work out?"

"Well..."

"Let me guess, he never made it there?"

Bailey paused. "Well, he did, but he didn't leave. I wanted to keep an eye on him to make sure he was alright."

Ellie nods. "Probably a good idea..."

"Speaking of which, we should go get your doctor or nurse to make sure you are alright..."

Ellie sighs. "You're probably right..."

Bailey smiled. "I'll be right back..." And with that, she headed out of the room.

Ellie turned to Cody. "That's some girl you have there. Willing to spend her spring break in a hospital..."

Cody smiled. "I know..."

"Well, what are you going to do about it?"

Cody looked at his grandmother in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." But, before she could finish, Bailey came back in with Ellie's doctor. He walked over to Ellie and then turned back to Cody and Bailey. "Would you mind stepping outside so I can examine her?"

"No problem. We should go tell everyone else that she's awake..."

Ellie hollers at Cody. "Cody, we will finish that talk..."

Cody and Bailey walk out of the room. Bailey turns to Cody. "What talk was that?"

Cody shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it was the meds talking?"

Bailey nodded. "Well, lets go tell everyone else she's awake."

Cody and Bailey returned to the waiting room and announced to everyone that Ellie was awake. Carey and Karen immediately got up and hurried towards the room.

Cody sat back down on one of the couches.

"What are you doing?"

"Its a small room. I just figured I'd give Mom and Aunt Karen some time with her without overcrowding Grandma..."

Bailey nodded and sat back down next to him.

As Cody sat there, he paused to think. He then turned to Bailey. "I almost forgot. I need to call Dad and tell him what happened...and did you call your parents to tell them where you were?"

Bailey smiled. "Cassie and I did both of those before we left the ship yesterday..."

"Thanks. Was that really only yesterday?"

"Yeah, its been a long couple of days..."

Cody turned to face her. "I'm going to make this up to you...I promise."

"Cody, you have nothing to make up to me."

"I appreciate you saying that, but just know that I am going to try to make your birthday extra special..."

"I'll be spending it with you, that's special enough for me."

"Speaking of which, any hints or clues as to something you really want?"

Bailey smiled and shook her head. "Nope. Cody, I already have everything I want. Like you said on yours, just spending the day with you is enough for me."

Cody smiles. "Well, that's not going to stop me from trying to make it special..."

"I know it won't. I still remember what you did for me last year."

"I'm just glad you liked it..."

"I loved it...Which is how I know whatever you end up doing, I'm going to love too."

"So, what you're telling me is I'm on my own, huh?"

Bailey smiled. "Uh huh.."

At that moment, Zack and Cassie have returned back from the cafeteria. "How's Grandma?"

"She's awake now."

Zack smiled. "Good. How is she doing?"

Cody smiled. "Just as feisty as ever. Mom and Aunt Karen are in with her right now."

Zack nods. "Has anyone called Uncle Mitch yet?"

"We haven't. I was going to wait to see what Mom thought. I know he will want to know, but at the same time, I'm pretty sure he's having a pretty important conversation..."

"That's true..."

"Why don't you two go stop by her room. I'm sure she'd love to see you both."

Zack nods. "Good idea." And with that, Zack and Cassie head off.

Bailey turns back to Cody. "What do you say we go do what we were going to do earlier?"

Cody looked confused for a moment, and then he remembered. "Oh, where I was born. Yeah, okay."

Cody and Bailey headed back to the nurse's station and found out the birthing center was on the third floor. They took the stairs down and found themselves at another nurse's station. The nurse sitting behind the desk looked up at them.

"Can I help you?"

"I hope so. My brother and I were born in this hospital almost 18 years ago this week. My girlfriend and I were hoping we could see exactly where I was born if possible."

The nurse smiled. "Of course..." She turns to her computer. "Do you have any ID on you?"

Cody nods and pulls out his driver's license. The nurse takes it, and after verifying it was Cody, begins to enter information into the computer. "Ahh, okay. Zachary Thomas Martin, 5 pounds 6 ounces and Cody Mitchell Martin, 5 pounds 4 ounces..." She turns to look up at them. "Delivery room C..."

Bailey smiled at her. "Thank you."

Cody and Bailey walk over to the rooms and found delivery room C was empty. They walk in and look around.

Bailey turns to Cody. "So, this is where you first entered the world..."

"Yeah, I suppose it is..."

Bailey wrapped her arm around Cody. "Like I said earlier, this is where my future began..."

Cody turned to her and smiled. "Next time we're in Kettlecorn, you'll have to show me where mine did..."

Bailey smiled. "You already have. I was born at home before the ambulance got there..."

"Did your Dad deliver you?"

"Yeah."

"No wonder he seems especially attached to you. He literally brought you into this world. I bet he was scared to death though. I know I would be..."

Bailey laughs. "No need to worry about that. When the time comes for our kids, I fully plan on being in a hospital with an epidural..."

Cody laughs too. "Whatever you say..."

"Come on, lets head back."

Cody and Bailey make their way back to the 5th floor and find everyone else is back in the waiting room. Carey looks up and sees them.

"Where have you two been?"

"We went to see where Zack and I were born."

Carey nodded. "Well, Cody, your grandmother wants to see you..."

Cody shrugged and headed off to Ellie's room and walks in. He walks over and sits by her bed.

"Grandma?"

Ellie opens her eyes and looks at Cody. "Good, you're here."

"What did the doctor say?"

"He said if I'm good, I can go home on Tuesday..."

Cody smiled. "Well, we'll make sure you are comfortable there..."

"No, you won't. I know I can't make you leave while I'm here, but if I get out of here on Tuesday, the four of you are leading to head back to the ship that day..."

"But..."

"No buts. I have your Mom, Karen and Mitch to look after me. I'll be fine."

Cody paused. "Uncle Mitch..."

Ellie smiled. "I know where he is right now...And I'm happy for him. And its kind of one of the things I wanted to talk to you about..."

"Huh?"

"Cody, I told you to always embrace each day and to cherish it. But, after what happened to me, I hope you learned that tomorrow is not always a given..."

Cody nods. "Yeah, I guess it isn't..."

"So again, what are you going to do about it?"

Cody just looked at her confused again. He thought her meds must be pretty potent.

Ellie sighed. "Cody, I think its time you and I had a little heart to heart..."

_To be Continued..._


	73. Continuing to Wait

_Chapter 73_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Everyone was still in the waiting room when Cody re-joined them. Carey looked up and saw him come in.

"How's your grandmother?"

Cody chuckled. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's back to normal..."

Carey nodded. "Good."

Cody walked over and sat back down next to Bailey. He immediately reached down and took her hand in his own. Bailey turned to him. "Everything okay?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah, I think everything will be just fine."

"What did Ellie want to talk to you about?"

Cody paused. "Oh, she wanted us to know that she expects us to head back to ship when she gets released on Tuesday. She insists we have somewhat of a spring break."

"Does she think we mind being here?"

Cody shrugged. "I told her we didn't, but she insisted..."

Bailey shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me either way." And with that Bailey yawned.

Cody smiled. "Getting tired again?"

"A little."

"Why don't you lie down then and get some sleep?"

Bailey shook her head. "I'm fine."

"You sure? If you want, you can use my lap as a pillow."

Bailey paused. "Well, maybe just a quick nap. Will you wake me up if anything happens?"

"Of course."

And with that, Bailey stretches out and lays her head on Cody's lap. Cody reaches down and just slowly uses his fingers to rub her scalp.

"Mmmm. That feels heavenly..."

"Good."

Soon, Cody can hear Bailey beginning to breathe heavily indicating that she was now asleep. Cody just looked down and watched her sleep. He couldn't help but smile. Did she have any idea just how much he loved her. That he would do anything for her. As Cody sat their thinking, he was brought back to reality by hearing Bailey talking in her sleep.

"I love you, Cody..."

Cody leaned down and kissed the top of her head and whispered. "I love you too..."

As the rest of the night went on, everyone else began to drift off to sleep as well. Cassie and Zack were in the same position they were the night before. Karen was curled up into a ball in one of the overstuffed chairs. Carey and Arwin were on another couch, in a position similar to that of Zack and Cassie. Cody had to smile at that. But beyond that, he just sat there and thought about what his grandmother had said to him. He didn't realize he was doing it, but subconsciously, he was running his fingers through Bailey's hair. Of course, this caused her to slowly wake up. She opened her eyes and sat up.

"Cody, what time is it?"

Cody checked his watch. "3 AM."

"Why didn't you wake me up, you must be exhausted too."

"You were sleeping too peacefully. I didn't want to wake you."

"So, you've been awake this whole time?"

"No big deal...Just doing some thinking."

"About what?"

Cody shrugged. "This and that. Mostly about Grandma and Uncle Mitch though..."

"Why don't you lay down with me and try to get some rest?"

Cody smiled. "I'd like that. I'd like that a lot..."

Cody slips behind Bailey, but this time she is turned to face him. They both fall asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning, everyone slowly wakes up and notices Uncle Mitch is sitting there with them again. Once everyone fully wakes up, Carey is the first to speak.

"So, how did everything go?"

Mitch nods. "We talked. For a long time."

"And?"

"We decided we need to keep talking. Rome wasn't built in a day..."

Bailey speaks up. "So, is there hope for you and Amy?"

Mitch shrugs. "No idea. A long time and a lot has happened. All we can do is take it one day at a time..."

"But there is a chance?"

Mitch pauses. "Maybe..."

Carey speaks again. "What about Michelle?"

"I'm definitely going to spend more time getting to know her, my grandchildren and my great grandchildren...I have a lot of time to make up for..."

Zack popped in. "So, how many cousins do we have exactly?"

"Michelle has two children and between them five grandchildren..."

"How old are the twin girls we heard about?"

"They just turned 13..."

Zack laughs. "Perfect age to take over for us..."

Mitch just gives him a quizzical look.

"We were thinking two new twins could take over for us at Seven Seas High..."

Mitch nods. "I see..."

Carey tries to steer the conversation back. "So, where are Amy and Michelle now?"

"They went home. I told them that I had to get back here to check on Ellie..." He paused. "I told them I would call once we heard anything..."

"Well, she woke up last night."

"She's awake? Why didn't anyone call me?"

Carey sighs. "We kind of figured you were having an important conversation..."

"How is she?"

Cody laughs. "As feisty as ever..."

Mitch sighs in relief. "Good..."

"The doctor thinks she may be released to go home on Tueday."

"So soon? I guess that's the marvels of modern medicine...Well, I guess I should go make a phone call then."

The rest of that Sunday was spent getting updates from the doctor. According to him, everything seemed to be progressing well, and Tuesday still seemed like the probable date that Ellie would be discharged.

Monday was pretty much a repeat of Sunday with Ellie continuing to improve. By this time, she had several arrangements of flowers in her room. Among these were from Moseby and Emma, Wilfred Tipton, Kurt and Sarah and the Pickett family. Ellie was very thankful and asked the everyone send their thanks on until she could thank them herself.

As Tuesday arrived, everything was cleared for Ellie to go home that day. Carey and Karen were going to spend the rest of the week with her before they had to return to their lives. Mitch had called his restaurant in Guam and let them know he had no idea when he would be back if ever. Arrangements had been made for the teens to fly back to Panama City as well. Right before she was to be discharged, Ellie asked to see Cody one more time. And with that, Cody found himself walking into her room.

Ellie smiled at him. "Given any more thought to what I told you?"

Cody smiled back. "Yeah, I have..."

"So, again...what are you going to do about it?"

Cody grinned. "Well, Bailey's birthday is coming up soon, I'm going to try to make it as special as possible..."

"Tell me what you have in mind..."

"Okay, here's what I'm thinking...

_To be Continued..._


	74. The Rest of Spring Break

_Chapter 74_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Ellie was discharged on that Tuesday morning and was returned back to her home. She was so used to taking care of herself that she didn't really like being fussed over. But, she knew her family was doing it because they loved her. Normally, she would have complained about being waited on hand and foot, but she decided to grin and bear it. Besides, it gave her time to think about what her youngest grandson had told her.

As Ellie was heading back to her house, the four teens were being dropped off at the airport by Arwin. He told them he would see them in a couple of months, and Cody and Zack told him to keep taking care of their Mom. Soon, the four found themselves on a plane headed for Houston, Texas where they would catch their connecting flight to Panama City. It was late on Tuesday night before they did finally land in Panama City. And waiting on them was someone from Tipton Industries who lead them to another helicopter. By the time they arrived on deck, it was close to midnight. By then, all four were exhausted and were ready to go to bed. Cody and Bailey made their way to their cabin, but Zack turned to Cassie.

"You know...both our roommates are gone for the rest of the week..."

Cassie smiled. "So, what are you suggesting?"

"Why don't you just stay in my cabin tonight? You've already got clothes to change into for tomorrow..."

Cassie laughed. "I don't know. Is your shower clean?"

Zack laughed. "Yeah, its still clean from when Cody cleaned it when he was staying in the cabin."

Cassie shrugged, and they both followed Cody and Bailey down to the cabins. They bid each other goodnight, and all four headed straight to bed. The next morning, all four slept in, and the first thing they did when they woke up was to call Carey to check on Ellie. Carey assured them she was doing better and wished them a good remainder of their spring break.

They decided to start off with the brunch buffet before they decided what to do the rest of the day. Afterwards, they decided to just hang out on the ledo deck getting some sun and enjoying the wave pool. After a few tense days, they were all just ready to relax.

Heading through the canal was a different experience for them. For most of their time on the S.S. Tipton, they were used to being out on the open seas. But, through the canal, they spent a lot of time with land very close to them on both sides often no more than a few feet away. It was a surreal experience.

Later that night, they again decided to take it easy after dinner. They had run into Moseby and Tut, and they thanked them both for the flowers they had sent. Both were just happy that Ellie was doing better. Before he walked off, Moseby did ask Zack and Cassie if they knew anything about the captain getting sick on the miniature golf course. Both just shrugged and said it wasn't them.

Thursday pretty much followed the same script as Wednesday did. Well, almost. While Bailey went to check on One of a Kind to make sure everything was going okay there, Cody was busy planning. He had a couple of weeks to pull off a birthday that he hoped Bailey would never forget. He already knew what he wanted to get Bailey, and Ellie seemed to think it was a wonderful idea. So, browsing the internet, he quickly found what he was looking for and took his time picking out everything that he wanted. Once it was ordered and set to be delivered, Cody moved on to the second part of his plan. He slipped across the hall and knocked on Zack's door. Once Zack opened up, Cody walked in.

He turned to both Zack and Cassie. "Guys, I need your help with something."

"Sure, Codes. What's up?"

"I'm in the process of planning Bailey's birthday in a couple of weeks..."

Zack laughed. "Can't wait for that month to be up, huh?"

Cody ignored that and continued. "Here's what I have planned..." And with that, Cody went into what he was planning to do. "So, do you think you guys can help me?"

Cassie smiled. "Sure, just tell us what you need us to do."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. I just want to make it as special for her as I can."

"We know you will..."

There was a knock at the door. Again Zack went over to answer it. Bailey came inside.

"Have you two seen..." She sees Cody inside. "There you are. What are you doing over here?"

"I was just seeing if Zack had heard anything new from Seattle..."

"Yeah, any updates?"

Zack smiled. "Yeah, Grandma is doing better and better, but she's not too thrilled with her new diet..."

Bailey nods. "Understandable..."

Cassie smiles. "You know, Zack. Maybe you should start thinking about your diet too. It's never too early to start changing yours..."

Zack sighed. "Not again..."

Cody can't help but laugh. "I don't know Zack, as much as I would love to see you wearing a tub of ice cream as a hat again, it might not be a bad idea..."

Zack just glared at his brother. "Tell you what. Let's all go grab some dinner and I'll try to find something a bit healthier..."

Dinner that night did include Zack actually picking a salad to eat. However, it did have pieces of fried chicken strips and smothered with blue cheese dressing. Cody and Cassie shrugged. At least it was a start. Friday pretty much followed the same routine as Wednesday and Thursday. This time, they did several couple versus couple activities. Among them were a game of miniature golf and laser tag. Zack and Cassie decline doubles games of ping pong and darts as it seemed Cody was a little too enthusiastic to do those. And of course, a couple versus couple game of trivial pursuit was out of the question. Zack and Cassie learned their lesson on that the first time.

By Saturday morning, people were starting to return from their breaks. Of course, everyone had to be back before Sunday evening as there was another senior class meeting scheduled. Throughout the course of Saturday and early Sunday, everyone returned to the ship. Sunday afternoon was spent catching up with everyone with what they did over spring break. Everyone was glad to hear that Ellie was doing better. After that, everyone listened to stories of London shopping, of Marcus spending time with Melanie in Atlanta, and of Addison almost getting in a fight with her younger sister because she was flirting with Woody. Woody didn't seem too upset about it because to be frank, he wasn't. He had no interest in Addison's younger sister, but it was a boost to his ego that she was flirting with him.

That Sunday evening, the senior class assembled for the second time for a class meeting in the ships theater. Miss Tutweiler took the stage.

"Alright everyone, with spring break now over, we are in the home stretch. Graduation is not that far off, so its time to start planning for it. Up front here, we have several forms we need you to pick up, fill out, and return by the end of next week. One is the form to order your caps and gowns. For those graduating with honors, Seven Seas High will provide you your cords..."

With that, Tut holds up a red sheet of paper so everyone can see what it looks like.

"Next, as we mentioned the last time we met, Mr. Tipton is going to be providing rooms in the Boston Tipton for your families to stay in for graduation. We need you to fill out a form telling us who in your family will be attending and how many rooms you will be needing..."

This time, Tut holds up a blue sheet of paper for everyone to see.

"Now, with graduation fast approaching, we will need time to practice the ceremony in the upcoming weeks. So, with that said, we are about to let you all in on a little secret. At Seven Seas High, we give all of our seniors a choice. In a few weeks, you would normally be entering dead week. Well, at that time, if you are happy with your current grades in your classes, you can skip your finals and keep those grades..."

All the students began to murmur with excitement.

"So, these next few weeks are your chance to raise your grades if that is what you want. Of course, if you aren't happy with your grade then, you are more than welcome to actually take your finals..."

Everyone grew quiet before they all erupted in laughter.

"Anyways, welcome back to Seven Seas High, and we will be having another class meeting two weeks from now. You're dismissed."

Everyone got in a line to pick up their two sheets. As they did, Zack looked up at Tut. "Do I really have to do these? Cody and I will have the same family coming, and as twins, our caps and gowns should be identical..."

Emma just smiled. "Just fill one out, Zack. We'll note any duplicates..."

After the meeting, everyone returned back to the skydeck to hangout again. Bailey couldn't help but laugh. "London, your father is going to hate me. My family alone might take up an entire floor..."

London just shrugged. "I don't think I need to put anything down. Daddy has his own suite at the hotel and Khun Yai will stay in my cabin with me..."

"What about your mother? Surely she will be coming..."

London shrugged again. "No idea..."

Everyone was silenced by that. They couldn't imagine one of their parents not coming for their graduation. Even Wilfred Tipton was planning on being there.

Trying to change the subject, Zack lifted his cup. "I say we make a toast..."

Everyone else lifted theirs as well.

"Here's to us not having to take finals!"

_To be Continued..._


	75. Achieving a Shared Goal

_Chapter 75_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

The next couple of weeks flew by. Most of the teachers knew the odds of any student taking their exams were slim to none, so they weren't diligent in teaching anything new. So, everyone basically coasted through those weeks.

Well almost everyone. Cody still had one detail left to take care of for Bailey's birthday that could completely make or break his plans. So, one day while Bailey was at work, he did whatever he could to take care of it. It took quite a while, but he was able to secure the last thing he needed.

On that second Friday, Cody and Bailey were packing up their things after AP American History when Tut asked them to stay after class. Once everyone else filed out of the classroom, Cody and Bailey walked up to Emma's desk.

"Is everything okay?"

Emma smiled. "Everything is great, especially after I tell you both the good news..."

"Good news?"

"Well, I'm your teacher for two classes, so I know how you are doing in my classes, and I've spoken with Mr. Green and Mr. Ferguson to get your grades from them. In all of your classes, you both have A's."

Bailey smiled. "Yes!"

Cody smiled too. "So, does that mean we are done for the semester?"

"Sort of...Your A's are set, but you two do still have some work to do..."

Bailey and Cody looked at each other confused. "We don't understand..."

Emma smiled. "You don't have anymore classwork left to do, but you both have valedictorian speeches to write..."

"Both of us?"

"Yes. Congratulations, you both are the co-valedictorians for the class of 2011..."

Bailey and Cody turn and pull each other into a hug. Bailey has tears in her eyes, and Cody's are getting a bit misty as well.

Emma continues. "I wanted you both to know so that when we begin practicing the graduation ceremony, you two know you will be sitting on the stage with the teachers and not with the rest of the class..."

Cody and Bailey nod. Bailey paused, and then asked. "Does this mean we each write a speech or can we write one joint speech?"

Emma paused. "I guess that's up to you two..."

Bailey turned to Cody. "What do you think?"

Cody shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."

"I was just thinking that things always turn out better when we do them together..."

Cody smiled. "Then we will write a joint speech..."

Emma smiled again. "Very well. I will note it for the ceremony program. Again congratulations to you both. You both earned it."

Cody turned back to Bailey. "What say we go call our parents, give them the good news, and then go celebrate?"

Bailey smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

They return to their cabins and both immediately pull out their cell phones.

"Mom?"

"_Cody?"_

"Yeah, its me. First, how is Grandma doing?"

"_She's doing much better..."_

"Good. Well, I have some good news of my own."

"_What is it, honey?"_

"Bailey and I were told today that we are going to be the co-valedictorians..."

"_That's wonderful! Congratulations to you both. Make sure you tell Bailey how proud of you both I am..."_

"I will. I just wanted to tell you the good news..."

"_Thanks for calling. I'll talk to you again soon."_

Cody looked over and Bailey was still on the phone.

"Hey Mom, its me..."

"_Bailey, so good to hear from you..."_

"I've got great news for you all...Cody and I found out that we're going to be the co-valedictorians..."

"_That's great, honey. I know you and Cody both worked real hard for that. Let him know how proud of you both we are..."_

"I will, Mom."

"_I'll go tell your Dad and your sisters right now. I'll talk to you again soon, and Happy Early Birthday, Bailey..."_

"Thanks, Mom."

Bailey hung up and looked over and saw Cody was still on the phone.

"Hey Dad, its me Cody..."

"_Cody! To what do I owe this pleasure?"  
_

"I was just calling to give you the good news. Bailey and I found out today that we are going to be the co-valedictorians..."

"_That's great! Congrats to you both. I know Sarah and I will both look forward to your speech. Proud of you son. And tell Bailey we're proud of her too..."_

"I will, Dad. I'll talk to you again soon."

And with that, Cody hangs up and turns to Bailey. "Mom and Dad both say they are proud of us both."

"My Mom said the same thing."

"You ready to go celebrate?"

"Definitely. How should we celebrate?"

"How about dinner and a movie. Your choice."

"The restaurant or the movie?"

"Both."

Bailey smiles. "Tell you what, if I pick the movie, you pick the restaurant."

Cody smiles. "Deal."

"You feel like a scary movie tonight?"

"Scary, huh? What do you have in mind?"

"Scream 4..."

"Hmmm. Let me think. You might get scared and hold on to me tight...I'm in!"

Bailey just laughed and rolled her eyes at Cody. "What sounds good for dinner?"

"I'm thinking Italian..." Cody grins. "You know, lots of garlic."

Bailey teases. "You think I'm going to hold on to you tight if you reek of garlic?"

Cody teases right back. "I guess that's the choice you're going to have to make..."

Bailey laughs again. "Come on..."

Dinner was delicious, but Cody relented on his threat and didn't go for the extra garlic. The movie was scary, and Bailey did spend plenty of time holding on to Cody's arm and burying her head in his shoulder. However, walking out of the theater, she put on a brave front.

"I swear, its gets easier and easier with those movies to figure out who the killers are..."

Cody just looked at her. "If you say so..."

As it was getting late, both decided to head on back to their cabin and get ready for bed. After kissing each other goodnight, both settled in quickly and fell asleep. However, Bailey had a trick up her sleeve, and the alarm on her cell phone went off at midnight. Upon hearing it, Cody immediately sat up.

"What was that?"

Bailey turned to him and smiled. "It was the alarm on my cell phone. I set it to go off at midnight..."

Cody looked at her. "Why would you do that?"

"I don't know...One year ago you did the exact same thing..."

"One year ago..." Cody paused. "Ahhh, okay." He leaned down and kissed Bailey. "Happy Birthday, Sweetie."

Bailey smiled again. "Better. And you know what this means, don't you?"

"Hmmm. Let me think..."

Bailey laughs. "It means I am officially 18 and officially able to be a consenting adult..."

"Oh...OHHHH..." Cody paused and smiled. "Trying to tell me something?"

"Well, if you would rather go back to sleep..."

"Let's see...I can dream about it or have the real thing. Tough call..."

"Cody! I would have thought that..."

But before she could finish, Cody was kissing her again. "Baby, I already told you I can never get enough of you..."

Bailey smiled. "So, you don't mind me waking you up?"

Cody smiled. "The alarm on my cell phone went off too. I had it in my pocket set on vibrate..."

Bailey grinned seductively. "Well, it looks like we both had the same idea...What are we going to do about it?"

"This..." Cody pulls the comforter over top of of them and all that can be heard is Bailey giggling.

_To be Continued..._


	76. The Day of Seven Surprises

_Chapter 76_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Later that morning, the sun began streaming into the cabin through the porthole. Bailey found herself waking up and feeling Cody's arms around her. She couldn't help but sigh in happiness. The month wait had been difficult on her, but earlier that morning had made it all worth it. From then on, she vowed there would be nothing to keep her from showing Cody just how much she loved him. And if earlier that morning had been any indication, her birthday was going to be wonderful. As she sighed again, she felt a pair of lips begin to kiss her neck and tug on her earlobe. Bailey couldn't help but to giggle again.

"I see I'm not the only one awake..."

Cody leaned in and whispered in her hear. "Happy Birthday, Beautiful..."

Bailey smiled and snuggled in closer to him. "Good morning to you too...Thank you for the early birthday gift."

Cody chuckled. "I thought that was a gift for me..."

Bailey laughs. "Okay, it was a gift for the both of us..."

Cody leans in and kisses her neck again. "I can live with that..."

Bailey turns so that she is facing Cody. "So, if that wasn't my birthday gift, what do you have planned for today?"

Cody smiled. "Its a surprise..."

Bailey smiled back. "I love all of your surprises..."

"Well, I hope you like today then. Are you ready for your first one?"

Bailey nods. "Yeah..."

Cody begins to get up. "Come with me then..."

Cody leads Bailey over to her desk and has her sit down. He grabs his book bag and pulls out a folder. He opens the folder and places some documents in front of her.

"Mrs. Thomas faxed us the lease yesterday..."

Bailey's eyes lit up. "So, after we sign this, it will be official?"

"Yeah. I've already read it, so I'll give you the chance to do so as well."

Bailey picked up the document and slowly and meticulously read through it. Once she was done, she looked back up to Cody. "Everything looks in order to me, but you're the one who interned with lawyers..."

Cody smiled. "Looks good to me too..." He hands her a pen and Bailey signs and dates it. Cody takes the pen from her and signs and dates it too.

"What do we do with it now?"

"I'll fax her a copy before I put the originals in the mail later..."

"I can do it with you."

Cody smiled. "Nope, you'll be busy then..."

"Busy?"

"Its another surprise..."

Bailey grins. "Is that how the rest of today is going to be?"

"Pretty much..."

"Alright, what's next?"

"Breakfast."

Bailey smiles. "Well, lets shower and get going..."

"Birthday ladies first..."

Bailey pauses. "Since its my birthday, I get whatever I want, right?"

"Of course."

Bailey stands and grabs Cody's hand. "Well, this birthday girl wants you to join her, so come on..." And with that Bailey drags Cody into the bathroom with her.

A little while later, Bailey and Cody are making their way into the dining room when Bailey notices a table with all of her friends with a banner over it that says "Happy Birthday, Bailey!". She smiles and walks over to the table.

"Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks, guys. I really appreciate this."

Cassie smiled. "Well, sit down. We're hungry. Cody said you two would be here a half hour ago..."

Bailey turned around to see Cody smiling at her. She turned back to Cassie. "I have a feeling I'm going to be on my toes all day today."

The eight of them ordered breakfast and sat around and chatted. Cassie leaned over and whispered to her cousin.

"Well, I guess you are officially an adult now. I bet you can't wait to end you self imposed month long break..."

Bailey smiled and whispered back. "Who says we haven't already?"

Cassie laughed. "So that's why you two were late..."

"No, it ended when I woke him up at midnight..."

"You are so bad!"

Bailey shrugged. "He had his alarm set to go off at midnight too..."

Soon, their breakfasts arrived and everyone began to eat. Once breakfast was over, everyone sat back to relax. But before long, London got up and dragged Addison with her over towards Bailey and Cassie. "Come on, Farm Girl...We've got an appointment..."

Bailey looked up surprised. "An appointment for what?"

"The salon...We're all going to look beautiful...Well, I already do, but there may be hope for the three of you yet."

Bailey turned to Cody. "Surprise number 3?"

Cody nodded. "I'll see you back in the cabin in a little while."

Bailey leaned down to kiss his cheek before she was dragged away.

Cody turned to Zack, Marcus and Woody. "Alright, boys. I have on errand to run and then we have work to do..."

The boys took care of their bill and hurried off.

Meanwhile, the girls were busy being pampered in the salon.

Bailey turned to Cassie. "What else does Cody have planned for today?"

Cassie smiled. "I can't say. Besides, you said you love his surprises..."

Bailey smiled. "I did, didn't I..."

"Anyways, I'm sure there are parts of it he hasn't told anyone. I still have no idea what he got you for a birthday present. He hasn't showed anyone."

Bailey nodded. "Well, if he's worked this hard on it, I know I'll love it..."

"That's the spirit."

Eventually, the girls finished their salon treatment and headed back to their cabins. When Bailey got back to hers, she found Cody sitting back on the bed reading a book. She walked in and Cody looked up and whistled. "Wow. You look gorgeous, Bails."

Bailey smiled. "Thank you, Codykins."

Cody gets up off the bed. "Are you ready for surprise number 4?"

"Sure..."

Cody walks over to his closet and pulls out a wrapped box. He turns and hands it to Bailey. "Happy Birthday."

Bailey takes it and unwraps the box and again finds a velvet box underneath. She opens it and gasps at what she sees. She looks up at Cody. "Its gorgeous..."

Cody smiles. "I hope you like it..."

Bailey pulls out of the box a silver charm bracelet watch that matches her locket. It already has several charms attached to it.

"I love it...What all charms do you already have on it?"

Cody walks over next to her and begins pointing to the various charms.

"This first one here is the state of Kansas. So you'll always have a piece of home close to you."

Bailey smiled.

"And this next one is a cruise ship. Its to symbolize the S.S. Tipton where we met and fell in love."

"Go on..."

"The next one is an ear of corn. It symbolizes the mulch festival where you were the corn queen..."

"And when I knew I was falling for you..."

Cody smiled. "The next is a palm tree. It symbolizes our first date in Hawaii and our first kiss..."

"I'll never forget that day..."

"Next is a couple dancing. It symbolizes the dance during the international dateline, they day we both first told each other that we loved each other..."

"It also symbolizes what you will go through for me..."

"The next is the Japanese character for love. Its to remember our first anniversary in Tokyo."

Bailey smiled again.

"The next one...well, its the Red Sox logo...Its to remember our time in Boston last summer..."

Bailey laughs. "Of course..."

"The next one is a seashell. Its to remember our time on the beach in New Haven and making love for the first time afterwards..."

"Another day I will never forget..."

"The next one is a hurricane. It symbolizes we can handle anything thrown at us as long as we are together..."

"Awww..." Bailey looks at the next one. "Why is the next one a Moose?"

Cody smiles. "It symbolizes that there is no one who can ever keep us apart..."

Bailey smiled. "Very true..."

"And the last one is a 'Y'. It symbolizes Yale and our future."

Bailey leans in and kisses Cody. "Thank you. I absolutely love it. In addition to the locket, I'll now have something else with me that shows me how much you love me..."

"Good. You about ready for surprise number 5?"

"There's more?"

Cody grins and nods. "Yeah...Now, this one requires us to be dressed up, so we better change."

"How dressed up?"

"Well, for me it includes my tux..."

Bailey smiles and nods. "Alright. I can't wait to see what you have planned next..."

Cody and Bailey change and head out of the cabin. Cody just leads Bailey throughout the ship in a winding, haphazard kind of way, and Bailey isn't quite sure where they are. Finally, they get to a door. Cody turns to Bailey. "Ready?"

Bailey nods and Cody leads them into a room. Inside, is a table with nice china, a table cloth, centerpieces and candles. Sitting around the table is Zack, Cassie, Woody, Addison, Marcus and London with two open chairs. Cody leads Bailey over to the two open chairs and pulls out a chair for her. "Milady..."

Bailey smiles and sits down. "So, this is what you guys weren't telling me about..."

Cassie smiled. "Sorry. It was a secret."

Bailey turned to Cody. "A private meal, huh? Where are our menus?"

Cody smiled. "No menus. The chef already has the meal finished and ready to be served..."

Bailey smiled back. "The chef, huh? Meaning you, right?"

"Maybe..."

Just then, a waitress brings out a tray full of soups and salads and places one of each in front of everyone. Bailey tastes the soup and lights up. She turns to Cody. "Burgoo?"

"You're favorite, right?"

Bailey just smiles. Once the soups and salads are done, the waitress cleans up the dishes and returns with the main entree. She places a dish in front of everyone, and Bailey is surprised at what she sees is on it. Chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans and corn bread. She looks at Cody again.

"My favorite meal...When did you do all of this?"

"While you were in the salon..."

Bailey leans over and kisses Cody's cheek leaving lipstick on it. Everyone digs into the meal, and it is enjoyed by all. When everyone is finished, the waitress again clears the table. This time, before she returns, she dims the lights. Bailey turns and sees her coming out of the kitchen with a birthday cake lit up with numerous candles. The waitress sets it in front of Bailey with a knife and spatula.

Cody turns to Bailey. "Time to blow out your candles and make a wish."

Bailey looks around the table and finally back to Cody. She couldn't believe the lengths he had gone to just to celebrate her birthday. Her life was so complete just the way it was. There was only one thing she could think of to make the night perfect, but that would be too much to ask for. But, she did have a wish, so she might as well. And with that, she leaned in and blew out her candles.

Afterwards, the lights were turned back up, and Cody began cutting the cake and passing around pieces of it. As they were eating it, there was a knock on the door. Kirby came in and told Zack and Cassie that Moseby needed to see them ASAP. They both groaned and got up to leave.

Bailey turned to Cody. "Wonder what that was about?"

Cody shrugged. "Moseby's probably trying to pin something else on them..."

The other six continue eating the cake, and a half hour later, Zack and Cassie return.

Zack sighs. "False alarm again..."

After everyone has finished their cake, they decide to call it a night. Everyone gets up to leave as the waitress begins to clean up. Cody and Bailey are walking along the deck arm in arm when Bailey looks up to Cody.

"Thank you for today. It was perfect..."

Cody smiled at her. "Who said it was over yet?"

Bailey looked at him in disbelief. "What else do you have planned?"

"You've only gotten through 5 of the 7 surprises..."

"What's number 6?"

"You ready for it now?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah...I can't wait to see what's next..."

"Alright, follow me..."

Cody leads Bailey back to their cabin and opens the door for them. When Bailey walks in, she sees there are flowers everywhere and candles lit. She turns back to him. "Cody...its beautiful."

"I hope you like it..."

Bailey walks around and smells all the flowers. "I love it...And I love you for doing all of this for me."

Cody smiles. "Good..."

Bailey pauses and turns around. "Moseby didn't need Zack and Cassie for anything, did he?"

Cody shakes his head. "Nope."

"I'm almost afraid to see what number 7 is..."

"Well, they say 7 is a lucky number..."

Bailey smiles. "Lucky, huh?"

"Are you sure you want it?"

"Definitely..."

Cody pulls a rolled piece of parchment out of his pocket. "Read this..."

It wasn't what Bailey was expecting, but she took it, unrolled it and began reading it.

_My Dearest Bailey_

_Ever since I learned you were a girl on that fateful day,_

_I knew it was my destiny to be by your side to stay,_

_You've taught me so much about that I did not know,_

_From what it meant to truly love and let my heart grow._

_Every time you smile, I feel the racing of my heart,_

_To feeling it break every time we are apart,_

_From the first time in the lobby when you bestowed upon me a chaste kiss,_

_I knew it was a feeling I vowed to never again miss._

_And when you told me it was I that you did love,_

_I felt as if I was being smiled down upon by the heavens above,_

_And when you shared with me yourself body and soul,_

_I knew to love and cherish you would be my life's greatest role._

As Bailey read the last stanza to herself, Cody was reciting it to her.

_I know our future together will be happy and bright,_

_For anyone who tries to interfere with that, I will surely fight,_

_All I know is that its you I want for the rest of my life,_

_Will you make me the happiest man in the world and agree to become my wife..._

Bailey turns to look at Cody, but he is one knee in front of her, holding up a ring towards her.

"Will you make me the happiest man in the world? Will you marry me?"

_To be Continued..._


	77. The Answer

_Chapter 77_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Bailey just stood there in complete shock. Cody had just asked her to marry him! How had he known? How did he know that was her wish when she blew out her candles. And now here he was on bended knee asking her to marry him.

When Bailey hadn't said anything, Cody began to get worried. "Bails?"

Bailey couldn't take her eyes off of the ring in his hand. "Cody..." She forced to herself to blink and focus, and then she looked into his eyes. She could see the love he had for her in them, and she couldn't help but smile as tears started to fall from her eyes.

"Yes...Of course I'll marry you!"

Cody smiled and slid the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit. He then stood up and pulled her into his arms. And she held on him just as tight as she continued to cry. Cody just rubbed her back and whispered to her how much he loved her.

Finally, Bailey was able to get her emotions under control. She pulled back far enough so she could look into his eyes. "I love you too, Cody. I can't wait to be your wife."

Cody smiled. "Good. For a moment there, I thought it was going to backfire on me."

Bailey laughed. "Not a chance. I was just thinking that when I blew out my candles, I wished you would propose to me..."

Cody looked surprised. "Really?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah..."

Bailey held up her ring to look at it when she noticed something. "Cody! This is your grandmother's engagement ring!"

Cody smiled and nodded. "I know. She gave it to me. When I told her I was going to propose, she insisted I use her ring. She said it brought a lifetime of happiness for her and my grandfather and hoped it would do the same for us."

Bailey smiled and her tears returned. "It's perfect. It really does make me a part of the family now. And someday, I can pass it down to one of our grandchildren when the time is right...It'll be a family heirloom."

"Yeah, it will..."

Bailey paused. "Oh my gosh. Do Zack and Cassie know you were planning on proposing?"

Cody shook his head. "No. They helped me set up, but they didn't know what I was going to do. Besides my grandmother, only one other person knew that I was going to propose..."

"Who?"

Cody smiled. "Your Dad..."

Bailey was surprised. "My Dad?"

Cody shrugged. "Call me old fashioned. I wanted to get his blessing before I asked you."

"And he gave it to you?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah. I spent the good part of one your shifts at One of a Kind on a webcam chat with him..."

"How did it go?"

"Pretty well. I told him I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you and would do whatever it took to make you happy. Of course, he did promise to personally kill me I ever hurt you..."

Bailey smiled. "I can see him saying that..."

Cody takes her hand. "Bails, I promise you. I would never intentionally do anything that could hurt you..."

"I know, Cody. I wouldn't either."

"And Bails, we don't have to get married until you want to. I just want you to know that whenever you are ready, you just tell me, and I'll be there. And when you are ready, I'll do everything in my power to give you the wedding of your dreams..."

Bailey smiled again. "Thank you. Besides, its going to take a while to plan anything. Most engagements last a while anyways..."

"I will be as hands on or as hands off as you want me to be..."

"We'll worry about that later. Now tell me, when did you first think about doing this?"

Cody smiled. "Does the first day I met you count?"

Bailey laughed. "I mean when you really seriously thought about it."

Cody pauses. "I would have to say when we heard Uncle Mitch's story. I knew I would do anything to make sure that didn't happen to us. He wasn't able to be with the woman he loved, but I had the one I did right beside me. The thought of making it permanent crossed my mind."

Bailey smiled. "So, what gave you the final push to decide to do it?"

"Grandma..."

"What do you mean?"

"You remember at the hospital when she wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah..."

"She told me me I was a lucky guy for having a girlfriend willing to be there with me. She then told me that what happened to her should make me realize that tomorrow is not always guaranteed. Then she asked me what I was going to do about it. That night when you fell asleep in my lap, I sat there thinking about what I was going to do. I decided right then and there that I was going to propose to you. When I talked to Grandma right before we left, she asked me again what I was going to do about it. I told her I was planning to to make your birthday as special as I could. Then I told her I was planning on saving up enough money this summer to buy you an engagement ring and propose. Of course, she asked me if having the ring was the only thing preventing me from doing it sooner, and I told her it was. That's when she gave me her ring and told me to just do it..."

Bailey smiled. "Remind me to thank her..." She pauses. "We need to tell our families!"

Cody checked his watch. "Well, its already pretty late in Boston and Kettlecorn. But, its not all that late in Seattle..."

"We should call your grandmother..."

"Why don't you call her? She already knows I was going to propose. I bet should would love to hear what your answer was..."

Bailey grabs her phone. "Good idea..." She finds Ellie's name in her contacts list and presses send. Cody just sits there watching her, listening to one side of the phone call.

"Ellie? Its me, Bailey. How are you feeling?"

"Good, glad to hear that. I'm calling because I wanted to let you know that I said yes..."

Bailey smiled. "Yeah, it is pretty wonderful. I wanted to thank you for giving Cody the ring. I will cherish it always..."

Bailey began to laugh. "I don't know about any plans yet. We just got engaged a half hour ago."

"Okay, I will. I'll see you then...Goodnight, Ellie and thank you again..."

Cody was smiling. "See her when?"

"Oh, she said wild horses wouldn't keep her from being at our graduation..."

"Well, future Mrs. Martin...or Mrs. Pickett-Martin...or Ms. Pickett still..."

Bailey laughed. "Mrs. Martin it will be..."

"Well, Mrs. Martin, what would you like to do now? We have all night..."

Bailey walked over and wrapper her arms around Cody's neck. "What would you think if I said I wanted to make love to my fiance?"

"I think your fiance would be all for it..."

Bailey smiled. "Guess I can't wear white, huh?"

"Oh you can...and you will be the most beautiful bride this world has ever seen..."

Bailey leans up and kisses him, their first kiss as an engaged couple.

The next morning, Bailey wakes up and for the longest time just looks at the ring on her finger. She can't help but smile looking at it.

"Good. Its still there. I didn't just dream you said yes..."

Bailey turns back and kisses Cody again. "You're darn right I did..."

"You ready for a full day of telling everyone?"

Bailey smiles. "Yes, I am..."

"Well, breakfast is soon. I guess we can start with our friends..."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's grab a shower and head to the dining hall..."

Forty five minutes later, Cody and Bailey came into the dining hall hand in hand and walked over to the table their friends were sitting at. Cassie looked up at her cousin and smiled.

"Have a good birthday?"

"Oh yeah. The most amazing day of my life..."

Zack chuckled. "Way to go, Codester..."

Cassie rolled her eyes at him. "So what did Cody have planned after dinner?"

Bailey smiled at Cody and then held her hand out to everyone. "Cody proposed!"

Zack spit out the drink he had just taken and stared at his brother. "You didn't propose because you got her pregnant, did you?"

_To be Continued..._


	78. The Other Blessing

_Chapter 78_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Cody and Bailey just stare at Zack. Cody finally speaks. "Of course not...I didn't propose to Bailey because she was pregnant. I proposed because I love her and want to spend the rest of my life with her...

He turns to Bailey and whispers. "You aren't pregnant, are you?"

Bailey quickly shakes her head. "Not that I know of..."

Woody speaks up. "Besides, for Bailey to be pregnant, that would mean that she and Cody were...you know...and this is Cody and Bailey we are talking about..."

Everyone just looks and Cody and Bailey, but they avoid everyone's gazes and don't say anything in return.

London gasps. "You two have been!"

Marcus laughs. "Dude! You been holding out on us?"

"Its true?" Woody pauses and turns to Zack and Cassie. "How come you two aren't surprised by this?"

London stares at them. "Because they already knew!"

Cody sighs. "Look, that's not the important thing here. The important thing is that Bailey and I are engaged now..."

London looks at Cody and Bailey. "How long?"

Bailey pauses. "He asked last night..."

"No, not that! How long have you two been...you know..."

Bailey sighs. "Last summer..."

"And how did I not know this? Wait a minute...You two stayed in my suite last summer...Is that where...?"

"No, it was on our visit to New Haven..."

"But it did happen in my suite too?"

Cody sighs. "Yes..."

London pauses and then glares again. "And did it happen in my store too?"

Cody and Bailey just look at each other again and don't say anything.

Zack begins to laugh. "Bro! I didn't know you had it in you!"

Woody begins to laugh. "Well, I guess the boat rocking wasn't all due to the ocean then..."

Addison roles her eyes at Woody. "That wasn't very nice..." She pauses. "Though, it does explain the glow Bailey has had on certain days..."

Marcus laughs again. "Its always the good ones you have to keep your eyes on...'

Cody shakes his head. "Can we get back to what's important here? You know, our engagement?"

Zack pauses. "Alright, let's talk about it. How come me, your twin brother, didn't know that you were going to do this?"

Cody pauses. "Only two people did before I actually proposed..."

"Yeah, who?"

"Grandma was the first..."

"What? Why does Grandma know?"

"We talked while she was in the hospital, and she encouraged me to do it..."

"Okay, and the other person?"

"Bailey's Dad. I called to get his blessing..."

Zack paused to think. "So, you haven't told Mom and Dad yet..."

"Telling our friends and families was on our agenda for today. That's why we are telling you all right now..."

Zack stands up and walks over to Cody. "And what about my blessing?"

Cody looks at his brother confused. "Your blessing? Zack, you already know how much I love her. Why would you object to this?"

"You're the only brother I have. Before I let you get yourself married off, I have to make sure you do it right..."

Cody sighed. "And how do we do that?"

"I will give you my blessing on two conditions..."

"What are those?"

"One...I get to be best man."

"Of course. You were going to be anyways."

"Two..." Zack smiles. "I get to throw you the best bachelor party this world has ever seen..."

Cody stares at Zack and then begins to laugh too. "I have no problem with that, but you'll have to clear it with my fiancee first. I still want to get married after its over..."

Zack turns to Bailey. "So, what do you say...Sis? You going to let me throw my boy here a bachelor party?"

Bailey smiled. "I suppose. I will have some rules though..."

"Fair enough..." Zack wraps his arm around Cody's shoulder. "If you can wait till your 21, we'll do it in style. I've got two words for you...Las Vegas!"

Cody swallows. "Oh boy..."

Woody and Marcus chime in. "Yeah! Vegas! It will be just like that movie..."

Bailey looked at them. "What movie?"

Marcus grinned. "The Hangover..."

Bailey's eye open wide. "Oh no! Nothing like that! I don't want Cody to almost die of heat exposure and dehydration while you three do one crazy thing after another..."

"Awww...Come on, Sis. We'll bring him back in one piece...two at the most..."

Cassie finally speaks up. "Think of it, Bailey. While they are doing that, we'll be having our own fun at your bachelorette party..."

Bailey paused. "Well..."

Cody turned to her. "And I'll have my own set of rules..."

Bailey nods. "Fair enough...So, really, what do you guys really think?"

Zack smiles. "We're happy for you both. I suppose we all knew this day would come, I just didn't know it would come this soon. Either way, Bailey, welcome to the family..."

Bailey smiled. "Thank you."

Cassie smiled. "Really, congratulations...Like Zack said, it was only a matter of time before it happened. Everyone here knew you two were going to get married someday..."

London rolled her eyes. "Well, they already act like a married couple anyways, so why not. You two will be getting a cleaning bill from me though!"

Marcus ignored London. "Congrats. Tell you what, I'll even perform at your reception for free..."

Woody paused. "Who would have thought that after all the pining Cody did for Bailey sophomore year that this is how it would turn out. Congrats man, you're still living proof for the rest of us."

Addison smiled. "Ignore him. We're all very happy for you both."

Zack turned back to his brother. "So, what's next?"

Cody sighed. "We go call our parents..."

Zack grinned. "Can I listen in when you call Mom?"

"Why would you want to do that?"

Zack shrugged. "She's either going to react in one of two ways, but both will end up with her crying..."

"Thanks, Zack...We appreciate the vote of confidence..."

Bailey sighed. "I just hope our parents are as happy about this as you guys are..."

_To be Continued..._


	79. Calling the Parents

_Chapter 79_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Cody and Bailey finally grabbed a quick breakfast before they returned to their cabin. They both settled in onto the bed.

"So, how should we do this?"

Bailey paused to think. "Probably be best to do it by speakerphone so we can both speak and do it one at a time..."

Cody nods. "Who should we call first?"

"Your Mom. Then my Mom...and then your Dad..."

Cody nods again and pulls out his phone. "Ready?"

"Yeah, lets do it."

Cody scrolls through his contacts till he finds his Mom and hits send. He then presses the speakerphone button.

"_This is Carey..."_

"Mom, its me Cody. I'm here with Bailey."

"_Cody, so good to hear from you again. What's up?"_

"Are you sitting down?"

"_Yes...Why?"_

"Mom...I proposed to Bailey last night."

"_You what?"_

"I proposed to Bailey last night and she said yes..."

"_You proposed?"_

"Yes, Mom...I did. And she said yes."

"_Wow...Is Bailey pregnant?"_

"No, Carey, I'm not..."

_Carey pauses. "Well, I guess I should have expected this. I did expect it some day. Well, are you two sure about this?"_

"Yes, Mom. I'm positive. This is what I want."

"Me too, Carey. I can't wait to be married to Cody."

"_Congratulations then I suppose. I always wanted a daughter, and I guess I have one now. How soon are you thinking?"_

"We haven't even thought about that yet. We're in no hurry to rush anything."

"_Alright. What did Kurt and your parents say?"_

"Bailey's dad already knows because I called and asked for his blessing, and you were our first call to everyone else...Well, Grandma already knows too."

"_I should have known she had something to do with this...Well, if you are both sure, then you have my blessing..."_

"Thanks, Mom..."

"Thank you, Carey..."

"_We'll talk about this more in Boston in a few weeks, but again, congratulations. You two should make your other calls soon..."_

"We will...Talk to you soon, Mom."

Cody hits the end button. "Well, that wasn't as bad as it could have been..."

Bailey nods. "True. Why do I get the feeling we haven't heard the last of people asking if I'm pregnant?"

Cody smiles. "Well, at least everyone knows now..."

"Not everyone...Tut and Moseby don't..."

"Oh yeah...Well, let's call your Mom."

Bailey nods and pulls out her cell phone. She finds her Mom's number and dials.

"_Pickett residence..."_

"Mom, its me and Cody..."

"_This is a surprise. Happy Birthday, sweetheart."_

"We've got some news for you..."

"_What's that?"_

"Cody proposed to me last night..."

"_Really?"_

"Really, Mrs. Pickett..."

"_You aren't pregnant are you, Bailey?"_

"No, Mom, I'm not..."

"_So, he just proposed?"_

"Yes, ma'am. I love Bailey and want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"_Well, congratulations then. I just wonder how I'm going to tell your father..."_

"Ummm. Mom...Daddy already knows..."

"_What?"_

"Its true. I called him last week to get his blessing."

"_You did, huh? I think I need to find that husband of mine and find out why he didn't tell me before..."_

"Don't be hard on him, Mom. He probably just wanted to keep it a secret for Cody."

"_Maybe. Anyways, have you two talked about the wedding yet?"_

"Mom, we just got engaged last night. We haven't even thought about the actual wedding yet."

"_So, there's a chance it will be here in Kettlecorn?"_

Bailey looked to Cody and he just shrugged.

"We'll keep it in mind, Mom."

"_Well, Congratulations again. And Cody, welcome to the family. Right now, I think I need to go have a little talk with Joe..."_

"Thanks, Mrs. Pickett..."

"_Cody, please, call me Maggie now. I'm going to be your mother-in-law..."_

"Okay, Maggie."

"_We'll see you both in Boston in a couple of weeks..."_

"Bye, Mom."

And with that, Bailey hangs up. Cody looks at Bailey and smiled. "I hope I didn't get your Dad into too much trouble..."

"Don't worry about it...But, if someone ever asks for your blessing for a daughter of ours, you better tell me."

"Yes, ma'am..."

Bailey smiled. "Alright, two down, one to go."

Cody nods and pulls out his phone again. This time, he finds his Dad's number and hits send.

"_Kurt Martin here..."_

"Dad, its me, Cody."

"_Cody, so good to hear from you again. How's your grandmother doing?"_

"She's doing much better, Dad. She wanted us to make sure we thanked you and Sarah for the flowers."

"_My pleasure. So, what can I do for you?"_

"Well, Bailey is here with me and we have some news for you."

"_Good news or bad news?"_

"We think its very good news..."

"_Is Bailey pregnant?"_

Cody sighs. "No, Dad. She's not."

"_So, what's up then?"_

"Dad, I proposed to her last night, and she said yes..."

"_Congratulations! You sure she isn't pregnant?"_

"I'm pretty sure, Kurt..."

"_That is good news then. I had a feeling I would get this phone call at some point. Just tell me what Sarah and I can do to help, and we'll do it."_

"Thanks, Dad. But, we haven't even thought about an actual wedding yet. We think its still pretty far off..."

"_Well, you two just let me know when it will be, and I'll make sure my schedule is cleared for it."_

"We will, Dad."

"_Speaking of which, have you two thought about what kind of vehicle you two want the keys too?"_

"Yeah, we have. We decided on something practical."

"_What's that?"_

"A Ford Escape Hybrid. We figured it would let us still get around in a Connecticut winter."

"_Good thinking. Well, we'll go look at them this summer. Look, I'm being called away, but congratulations again to you both. And Bailey, welcome to the family..."_

"Thank you, Kurt."

"_See you both soon..."_

"Bye, Dad."

And with that, Cody hangs up. "Well, that's taken care of with a minimum of bloodshed..."

Bailey smiles and wraps her arm around Cody. "Hey, all of them were happy for us. They could have all objected."

"I wouldn't have cared...Nothing is going to stop me from marrying you."

"I feel the same way."

"Maybe I should have asked sooner..."

"Why's that?"

Cody smiled. "Then everything for our apartment we could have registered for..."

Bailey laughs. "Probably..."

Cody pulls her back on the bed with him. "Should I be this tired right now?"

"I hope so, because I could use a nap too..."

"What time is it?"

"Its around noon."

"What time is the senior class meeting?"

"6:00"

"I say that gives us plenty of time for a nap then...let me set the alarm."

Cody sets the alarm and Bailey lays her head on his shoulder. "Do we really get to spend the rest of our lives together?"

"Uh huh. If I have anything to say about it..."

Soon, Cody and Bailey both fell asleep and got some much needed rest. After all, the night before had been a late night. The alarm went off at five and both took their time getting up. Finally, they decide to head to the theater for the senior class meeting. As they walk in, Emma sees them.

"Good, there you two are. We're going to do our first run through for graduation tonight. So, like I said, you two will have seats on the stage..." She happens to look down. "Bailey, what is that on your finger? Its gorgeous!"

Bailey smiled. "Its my engagement ring. Cody proposed to me last night..."

"HE DID WHAT?"

All three turn to see Mr. Moseby standing there.

_To be Continued..._

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: The final chapter has been written. I do still wonder why people would read my stories and leave negative comments. I guess I just don't get that. Maybe they are ticked of Zailey fans who know they will never get their wish? Of course, personally, I can't see why people would want that because it makes no sense what so ever. But, different strokes for different folks I guess.**


	80. Awkward Conversations

_Chapter 80_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

"Mr. Moseby..."

"Did Bailey just say you proposed to her last night?"

Cody nods. "Yes, sir. I did."

Moseby shakes his head. "Cody, Cody, Cody...You're mother is going to kill me!"

"Its okay, Moseby. We called her earlier and she gave us her blessing."

Mosbey sighs. "That's a relief..."

Emma turns to him in surprise. "That's it?" She turns back to Cody and Bailey. "Are you two sure about this?"

Bailey nods. "Yes, we are. We both love each other and want to spend the rest of our lives together..."

"But...You're both so young!"

Cody smiles. "Isn't that a good thing though?"

"How so?"

"No offense, Miss Tutweiler, but we've spent the past three years hearing you lament about your lack of a love life. We've already found the person we want to be with, why should we wait because we're both young?"

"But..."

Bailey takes over. "And this way, there is no chance I'll end up an old maid whose mother is trying to set her up with the loser sons of her bingo buddies..."

Emma sighs. "I said that, didn't I?"

"And you also said you've hardly ever seen a couple as perfectly matched as Cody and I..."

"I did say that too..."

"Well, we know it too. We consider ourselves lucky that we didn't have to wait to find our soulmates. We have each other right now..."

Emma begins to cry and pulls them both into a hug. "I'm so happy for the both of you!"

Moseby interrupts them again. "I just want to make sure you two aren't getting married just so you can...you know..."

Cody sighs. "No, sir. That's not the reason I proposed...My intentions are purely honorable."

Bailey sighs too. "And we're not doing it because I'm pregnant either..."

Both Moseby and Emma just stare at them.

Bailey realizes what she said. "Not that there would be a chance..."

Moseby stops her. "Stop. You're both 18 and in two weeks, you will no longer be my responsibility. I don't want to know any more..." With that, he walks off.

Tut is still staring at them. "Why do I have the feeling that the talk I had with you right before the hurricane was already too late?"

Cody and Bailey just look at each other.

"Just tell me that you both have been careful..."

Bailey sighs. "We have been. And we actually did everything we told you we would. We sat down and had a long talk about it. We decided we were both ready. Neither one of us regrets for a moment our decision."

Tut nods. "Well, I hope so. You two have too bright of futures to risk throwing them away..."

Cody nods. "We know. We're taking all precautions..."

"Alright, well, its your lives. You two do what you think is best for you..." And with that, Tut walks off.

Cody turns to Bailey. "Does she not realize that's what we've been doing?"

Bailey shrugged. "Do they think that because we are 18, that we're stupid?"

"Bails, even if you were pregnant, that wouldn't be why I proposed. And if you were, I definitely wouldn't see it as throwing our future away..."

Bailey smiled. "I know...And I agree, but I'm not, so its a non-issue right now..."

Cody smiles. "But I do look forward to the time when we are ready to make it an issue..."

Eventually, the entire senior class gathered in the theater and Tut took the stage again.

"All right, tonight is our first graduation practice. So, don't get comfortable where you are sitting right now, because we're going to soon get you all in alphabetical order. First, I would like to introduce you all to your class valedictorians and salutatorian. Our salutatorian is none other than Reina James. Please come on up, Reina..."

Reina smiles and comes up to the stage. Tut continues. "And this year, we have two valedictorians. I'm pleased to announce they are Bailey Pickett and Cody Martin. Come on up, Bailey and Cody..."

Cody and Bailey walk up to the stage to applause from their friends. They take their seats next to Reina as she glares at Bailey.

Tut continues. "Alright, everyone else stand up and gather in the back. When we call your name, come down and take your seat. And remember who you are sitting next to." And with that, Tut begins to read through everyone's names.

While she is doing that, Reina can't help herself and sneers at Bailey. "So, Miss Perfect, you got the guy, you got Yale, and you got valedictorian...What's going to fall in your lap next?"

Bailey glares back at Reina. "Nothing has fallen into my lap. I've worked very hard to get in to Yale and to get valedictorian. As for the guy, we both love each other very much..."

Cody found himself sitting in the middle and tried to diffuse the situation. "Ladies..."

Reina interrupted him though. "Just wait. You'll get to Yale and some older, more civilized college girl will take him away from you..."

"Oh yeah?" Bailey held out her hand. "What does that engagement ring on my finger tell you?"

Reina stared at her and then at Cody. "You didn't? You can do so much better..."

Cody paused. "Yes, I did...And no, it would be impossible for me to do better...Besides, why do you care?"

Reina shook her head. "I just thought you were the type to always want the best..."

"And I have the best...And in the event that there never was a Bailey, you aren't my type..."

Reina rolls her eyes. "I'm everyone's type..."

Cody nods. "If everyone likes stuck up, vain, mean spirited bitches...then yes, you're right..."

Reina stares at Cody in surprise and proceeds to pull her chair away from Cody and Bailey.

Bailey is trying hard not to laugh. She turns to Cody. "Thank you..."

"Sorry about my language. I was just being truthful...I haven't heard a single guy on the boat that actually likes her..."

"Yeah? What do they say about me?"

Cody shrugs. "Nothing. They know you are off limits. And they know they better not say anything bad about you in front of me..."

"Well, I don't care what they say anyways...I've already got the only guy whose opinion matters to me"

Eventually, Tut got everyone in alphabetical order.

"Okay, again, remember who you are sitting next to for tomorrow. We will go through the first actual run through tomorrow. In other news, I'm going to tell you what our schedules are going to be for the next two weeks. Everyday, you will be here at 9:00 AM. We will proceed to go through a full walk through. So, the sooner you all get this down, the quicker we will be out of here everyday. Once we finish the practice, everyone is free until we meet back here at 2:00 PM. We have to take attendance twice a day to keep getting funding from the state. And if you all have it down by Wednesday of next week, you will have Thursday and Friday off as free days."

Tut shuffels the papers in front of her.

"Now, for our other matters of business. The rooms for your families have already been booked, so when they check into the Tipton, all they will have to do is give their names. Your caps and gowns are in as well. Gowns for the guys are blue, and gowns for the girls are red. So, if your gown isn't that right color, let us know immediately. When I dismiss you, line up in two lines of guys and girls and get them..."

Tut pulls out one last sheet of paper.

"Finally, as you all know, the senior prom is next Saturday. This will be your last dance ever at Seven Seas High. Have fun, but still remember all rules are still in effect. I will ask everyone to be careful that night. Alright, you are dismissed."

Everyone lined up to get their caps and gowns, and after they got them, everyone returned to their rooms to drop them off. After that, everyone returned to the skydeck.

"Wow...Our last high school dance. Hard to believe its actually here already."

"I know."

Marcus sighed. "At least all of you will have the dates you want here with you. I guess I'll be going stag..."

Everyone felt sorry for Marcus with Melanie not able to be there. Well, almost everyone. None other than London had a smile on her face.

_To be Continued..._


	81. The Final Episode

_Chapter 81_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Everyday the next week was basically a repeat of the day before. Everyone went to graduation rehearsal, did their own thing, and then showed up to take attendance in the afternoon.

Of course, everyone spent their free time doing different things. Zack and Cassie were spending their last week at their respective jobs with Friday being both of their last days. Cassie hadn't grown too attached to the towel counter to really miss it, but Zack had spent the last three years working the smoothie bar. For almost two years, it was his opening to hit on girls. Of course, since he had met Cassie, he hadn't done that. Girls had still flirted, but Zack had been good.

Bailey was also finishing up her last week at One of a Kind. Even though her tenure there had been interesting at times, she had really enjoyed it. And part of it was having London as a boss. Sure, London could down right confuse her at times, Bailey couldn't think of a better boss to have. London actually listened to her on some things and was very flexible if Bailey had to take time off for anything. Plus, there was the fact that Bailey knew she could always confuse London if she ever got into any real trouble.

But Bailey wasn't the only one of London's employees in their last week. On Tuesday, Cody was scheduled to produce his last ever episode of Yay Me! London said she had taken care of the guest, so Cody just showed up at London's cabin that afternoon. After all the cameras were set up, Cody pressed the button to begin the theme music. After London did her dance, she sat down in her chair.

"Welcome to Yay Me! starring London Tipton, I'm London Tipton. Today, we have a special episode for you. Its the last episode for my producer, Cody. Cody, come on out here so everyone can see you..."

Cody shrugged and sat in the chair usually reserved for the show's guest.

"Now, as many of you know, I've known Cody for six years now. In that time, Cody and his brother Zack have become like my little brothers..."

Cody turned to London in surprise. "We have?"

"Of course. Why else do you think I've hung out with you guys for six years? I mean, I'm rich and you two...aren't..."

Cody pauses. "Wow. I had no idea you felt that way, London..."

"Well, I never had any siblings because my mother said they would ruin her figure, and Daddy was always too busy...At first, you two and Maddie were the only people my age I could always count on..."

Cody smiled. "Well, I never had any sisters either, so I'd be proud to call you my big sister..."

London smiled. "Thank you."

Cody paused. "And London...I'm sorry about your store..."

"Don't worry about it. I really wasn't that upset about it anyways..."

"What was wrong then?"

"I guess I've just been a little sad lately. As much as I constantly complain about this stupid sea school...I'm going to miss it."

"We all will, London. These past three years have been great..."

"I know they have. But I don't want things to change! What am I going to do without you or Zack or Bailey or Moseby around?"

"London, like we said, we won't be that far away. Plus, you can call us any time you want or we can talk through webcam anytime you want or you can come visit us anytime you want..."

London smiled again. "Really?

"Of course..." Cody smiled. "We'll always have time for our big sister..."

London turns back to the camera. "In addition to our graduation next week, Cody also had something big happen in his life. Would you like to tell them or should I?"

Cody paused. "You sure that's a good idea?"

London paused. "Oh yeah...that's your personal life..."

"Its not that, its just your viewers haven't always been that...positive about my relationship with Bailey..."

London nodded and turned back to the camera. "Well, any of you out there who are still holding out hope for Cody, I'm sorry. He is officially off the market. This past Saturday, he got engaged..."

And with that, both Cody and London could hear the beeps for London's mailbox beginning to fill up.

London turned to Cody. "Should we look at them?"

Cody sighed. "Why not..."

Cody went over and got the laptop. And he began to read some of the messages and discovered they weren't all so bad.

"Well?"

"Well, still some bad ones, but most are alright..."

"Let's hear some..."

"Alright. Cindy from Cincinnati says she's happy for me and farm...I mean Bailey..."

"Go on..."

"Millie from Milwaukee says its good to see two such good friends as ourselves having a tender moment together..."

London smiles for the camera. "Thank you, Millie..."

Cody reads the next one. "Uh oh..."

"What?"

Cody sighs. "Barbara from Boston says I'm making the biggest mistake of my life..."

London looks at Cody. "You think its from her?"

"I don't know, but if it is, I do believe this would be a violation of the restraining order..."

"I'll make a call to Daddy..."

"You know, don't worry about it. If it is Barbara, then I could care less what she thinks. If she's telling me I'm making the biggest mistake of my life, then it only reinforces to me that I've made the best decision of my life..."

London shrugs. "We'll see..."

"London!"

"Okay, okay. You two really are perfect for each other..."

"Wait a minute...Aren't you the one who said I would never get a second date and here I am engaged..."

London shrugged. "Who knew there were two of you out there?"

"Thanks, Sis...We'll, what's next on tap for your farewell from the S.S. Tipton?"

London paused. "I don't know...Will you let me put make up on you one last time?"

"What?"

The inbox beeps again. "What did the message say?"

Cody looks down and sighs. "Bailey from the S.S. Tipton said she would love to see that..."

London smiles. "So, its settled then...You'll do it!"

"Huh?"

"Cody, you might as well. You're engaged now. For the rest of your life, Bailey is going to be telling you what to do, might as well go ahead and get used to it..."

Cody sighs and turns to the camera. "Thanks, Sweetie..."

The inbox beeps yet again.

Cody looks down and smiles. "She said she was just kidding..."

London turns to the camera this time. "Bailey, if you let me, I'll pay for you and Cody to have your own suite all summer!"

Cody smiles. "Bailey would never..." But before he could finish, there was another beep. Cody looked down and sighed again. "She said 'deal'..."

London rolls her eyes. "Think about it this way, Cody. It will be like closure. I did this to you on our first episode and I'll be doing it to you on our last episode. You know, full circle..."

Cody shrugs and concedes defeat. "Fine...Let's get this over with..."

A little while later, London is looking at the camera again. "Well, I hope you all have enjoyed the last broadcast from the S.S. Tipton. And I hope Cody won't be a stranger to our show in the future..." London looks over at Cody. He is sitting there wearing blush and lipstick and not looking the least bit happy.

"Oh, settle down...I could have decided to do eyeshadow..." London turns back to the camera. "So, farewell everyone. And one last time from the S.S. Tipton, its time to dance. Cody, will you join me one last time?"

Cody is still not amused and shakes his head. "No!"

London is still smiling to the camera. "I'll pay for furnishing the rest of yours and Bailey's apartment..."

Cody paused. "Alright, let's dance!"

And with that, London and Cody do the dance at the end of Yay Me! for the last time.

_To be Continued..._


	82. The Last Days on the Job

_Chapter 82_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

After the episode ended, Cody immediately went to One of a Kind without wiping off the makeup London had applied. As he walked in, Bailey immediately started to laugh.

"Thanks for selling my most of my dignity for a suite..."

Bailey smiled. "And you didn't sell the rest of it for London furnishing the rest of our apartment?"

Cody paused. "Well, probably..." Cody smiled. "I figured I might as well get would I could for what was left of it..."

"So you aren't mad at me?"

"Nah. We got our own suite out of it. Besides, it probably was a fitting way to end it. Either way, I've already got a fiancee, I'm not trying to impress anyone..."

"That's good. I thought I was going to have to spend all summer making it up to you..."

Cody smiled. "Well, maybe I'm just a little upset..."

Bailey laughed. "Too late...You already said you weren't mad!"

Cody shrugged. "Oh well...But, we can now go all out on everything else we need..."

"Yeah, what did you have in mind?"

Cody grinned. "How do mirrors over the bed sound?"

Bailey shakes her head. "No."

"Worth a shot...So, been busy today?"

"Not really...Been kind of dead actually...My prom dress did come in though."

"Yeah, lets see it..."

Bailey shook her head. "Nope. You have to wait until Saturday to see it..."

"I thought it was only a wedding dress I wasn't allowed to see..."

Bailey smiled. "It'll be good practice for you..."

"Well, if you want to knock out two birds with one stone, I can go get my laptop and we can work on our speech some more..."

Bailey nods. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. The sooner we finish it, the sooner we can begin editing it, the sooner we can just enjoy our last few days..."

"Be right back..." Cody begins to leave when he stops and turns back to Bailey and grins at her.

"What?"

Cody walks back over and kisses her several times on both cheeks and on the lips. Bailey smiles. "What was that for?"

Cody smiled. "I figured I'd leave lipstick smudges on your cheeks for once..."

Bailey just shook her head and laughed, and with that, Cody slipped out of the store.

When he returned, Bailey and Cody spent the rest of her shift working on their speech finally completing a first draft. When done, they decided not to start editing it that night so they would have some distance from it.

Thursday was Bailey's last day at One of a Kind. As she watched her last hour tick away, she couldn't help but think about all the memories she had of that place. Cody calling her his Bailey's comet and them planning to sneak out after curfew. Having to run off customers per London's orders. Helping the one customer find the perfect dress so her feller could propose. Taping the episode of Yay Me! discussing what had happened to them in Tokyo. The one night in the store room that thankfully London didn't seem upset about anymore. As her time came to an end, she tidied up, turned off the lights and was about to lock the door when she stopped. She walked back and looked at Mary. Bailey smiled and told her it had been a pleasure to work with her. And with that, Bailey locked up One of a Kind for the last time.

Friday was Zack and Cassie's last day. With about an hour left in both of their shifts, Cody, Bailey, London, Marcus, Woody and Addison showed up at the smoothie bar.

"What are you guys doing here?"

Woody smiled. "We figured the last hour of your shift, you'd be more willing to give us free stuff..."

Zack paused and shrugged. "Why not?...What will it be?"

Zack takes everyone's order until he gets to his brother.

"What'll it be, Broseph?"

"Let me try orange raspberry..."

"I don't know...I don't think it'll match your lipstick and blush..."

Cody smirks. "You would know, Mr. Mascara..."

Zack stares at his brother. "I did that for the camera..."

"So? I got a suite for the summer..."

Zack grumbles. "Yeah, yeah..."

"So, Zack...you going to miss this place?"

Zack nods. "Yeah, I am. I know I had to take it because I spent both of the money on our student cards, but its been fun..."

Cody nods. "Did you notice we continued our jobs our junior years even though we had new money on our student cards?"

Zack stares at his brother. "We did?"

"Of course, they get replenished each year..."

"So...You're saying I probably have two years worth of money on my student card right now?"

Cody looked at his brother in surprise. "You mean you've been using your money you made here and the past two summers to pay for everything?"

Zack sighs. "Yes..." He pauses and turns to everyone else. "Alright, the rest of our time here, everyone's meals are on me!"

"Ummm...Zack, you do know at the end of each year, they will refund you any money you have left on your card..."

Zack turns back to everyone else. "Scratch that!"

Cody just shakes his head and laughs.

Cassie returns from taking her last load of towels from the washer to the dryer.

"I'm glad this is the last load of towels I have to do. And the way Cody showed me how to fold them is a pain..."

Bailey smiles at her cousin. "I should have told you to ignore any laundry suggestions from Cody..."

"Hey, I just showed her the way Mr. Moseby wanted them. He yelled at me once for folding them wrong..."

Cassie laughed. "Anyways, I can't wait for tomorrow. A day of doing nothing until the prom..."

London looks up. "Well, we have to hit the salon again. If you all had taken care of your hair like Pierre said, it wouldn't be necessary!"

Addison, Bailey and Cassie all sighed. "That's three hours gone..."

Zack laughed. "Meanwhile, Cody, Woody, Marcus and I will all four be out of the ships barbershop in 30 minutes..."

London shakes her head. "At least you two don't have the long hair anymore..."

Zack turns to Cody. "I thought we looked pretty stylish when we had that look..."

"So did I...but it was a pain to take care of..."

Zack rolls his eyes. "Oh please, you've gone from spending 20 minutes on your hair to 15..."

Finally, the last of their shift comes to an end. Cassie locks the towel cabinet for the last time. Zack wipes the counter for the last time and hangs up his apron. For the next week, everyone is free with no jobs, classes or finals to worry about.

_To be Continued..._


	83. Save the Last Dance

_Chapter 83_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Saturday morning arrived, and everyone slept in. In fact, it was close to noon before anyone rolled out of bed. Of course, when they did, they had to get up and moving because London had them an appointment for 1:00. Bailey, Addison and Cassie met up with London outside the salon.

"Alright, London, we're here. What are we waiting on?"

London smiled. "We're just waiting on the last person joining us to get here..."

The other three looked to each other. "Who else is coming?"

"Patience. She's in just got to her cabin and is putting her things away."

Bailey looked at London. "What's going on?"

London looked up. "Ahhh...There she is now."

The other three turn and are shocked to see Melanie walking towards them.

"Melanie?"

Melanie smiled. "Hey everyone..."

Cassie shook her head. "What are you doing here? Marcus said you weren't going to be able to make it..."

"I have London to thank for that...She flew me in this morning."

The other three turned back to London. "London? That was very sweet of you..."

London shrugged. "I was already flying someone else in, might as well make it two..."

Bailey looked at her former roommate. "Who else did you fly in?"

London smiled. "You'll find out later. Now, we have an appointment to keep..."

And with that, London leads the four other girls into the salon.

Meanwhile, the four guys were in the barbershop, each getting their ears lowered. And as usual, the only topic allowed in the barbershop is sports.

"So, Woodchuck, it looks like its going to be Boston and Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals...Who are you going to be rooting for?"

Woody sighed. "Is it too much to ask that both their team buses collide?"

The other three laugh. "Its okay, the Browns actually did finish third in their division last year. That had to be a boost to Cleveland to finish ahead of the Steelers..."

"Yeah, but the freakin' Bengals won the Super Bowl!"

"Well, the Indians received some good prospects in that trade..."

"And the guy they traded to the Cubs hit the World Series winning homerun!"

Cody paused. "Well, at least Cleveland doesn't have a hockey team to break your heart..."

"Well, yeah, but Zack's and my soon to be college just lost the NCAA Championship to Kentucky..."

"Hey, you made it that far...Yale didn't even finish in the top half of the Ivy League..."

Zack begins to chuckle. "So that's why Cody proposed...With the Bengals and Cubs winning, he knew the end of the world was coming..."

Cody rolled his eyes, but Marcus continued. "I still can't believe you were holding out on us, dude..."

"I wasn't holding out anything. What Bailey and I do in private is just between us..."

"You told Zack!"

"We didn't tell Zack...he found out on his own..."

Woody and Marcus just stare. "What did he do? Walk in on you two?"

"NO! Nothing like that."

Zack smirked. "Well, I did walk in on them once while they were in shower together..."

Cody sighed. "Zack happened to find Bailey's birth control pills, that's how he found out..."

Woody just shook his head. "Who would have thought that out of all of us, Cody would be the first one to..."

Cody interrupts him. "Thanks..."

Eventually, everyone finished getting their hair done and returned to their cabins to begin to get ready. When it was time, Woody and Zack left their room and went up to Addison and Cassie's cabin to pick them up. Of course, both had a corsage in hand.

Meanwhile, Marcus was in his own cabin finishing getting ready. He wasn't as excited as everyone else was because his lady couldn't be there with him. He shrugged and finished putting his jacket on. As he was checking himself out in the mirror, he heard a knock at his door. He sighed and went over to answer it.

"Hey, Marcus..."

Marcus could only look on in shock. Standing in front of him was Melanie and she looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress. "Melanie? W...W...What are you doing here?"

Melanie smiled and walked on into Marcus' cabin. "London offered to fly me in for the weekend. And I heard you were bummed that I couldn't be here, so I couldn't say no..."

Marcus couldn't help but smile. "Remind me to thank her later. This night just got a whole lot better all of a sudden..." He paused. "Oh no, I don't have a corsage for you..."

Melanie laughed and opened her bag. "London said to give this to you."

Marcus laughed and took the corsage from her. "May I?"

"Of course..." Melanie held her hand out.

After Marcus secures it to her wrist, he looks up. "Well, shall we go then?"

"Lets..." And with that, Marcus and Melanie head out.

Meanwhile, back in Bailey and Cody's cabin, Bailey is in the bathroom adding the finishing touches to her makeup. When she was done, she checked herself out in the mirror and thought Cody would approve. The final touches were putting on her locket and her charm bracelet watch. Giving herself one final look, she heard a knock at the cabin door.

"Cody, would you get that?"

She heard another knock at the door.

"Cody?" She stepped out of the bathroom and looked around, but Cody was nowhere in sight. "Where did he go?" Bailey walked over to open the cabin door and found Cody standing there holding a corsage.

"Cody, what are you doing?"

Cody just looked her up and down and whistled. "You look amazing..."

Bailey smiled. "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself. But what are you doing knocking on the door?"

Cody smiled. "Every other girl was getting picked up at her door by her date. I didn't want you to be left out just because we share a cabin..."

Bailey laughed. "Get in here..."

Cody walked in and turned back to her. "This is for you..."

Bailey holds out her hand and Cody slips the corsage around her wrist.

"Thank you, Cody. Its beautiful..."

"Second most beautiful thing in this room..."

Bailey smiled. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here..."

In the formal ballroom, Bailey, Cody, Zack, Cassie, Addison, Woody, Marcus and Melanie were all sitting at their table wondering when London was going to arrive.

"So, London said she flew in someone else?"

"That's what she said..."

Marcus turned to Melanie. "Who flew in with you?"

Melanie shrugged. "I didn't get his name..."

"So, it is a he?"

Melanie nodded.

Zack chuckled. "So, London has a mystery date..." He paused and turned to Cody. "You don't think its..."

Cody paused to think. "Possibly...But that would be really..."

Woody interrupts him. "Here she comes now!"

Everyone turned and saw London walking in arm in arm with Lance.

_To be Continued..._


	84. The King, the Queen and the Jester

_Chapter 84_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

London and Lance make their way over to the table.

"Hey, everyone. This is Lance. Lance, this is everyone."

Lance nods. "Hey..."

"The only ones you've met are Zack and Cody. They used to live at the Tipton too..."

"They did?"

"Yeah, you remember the two blond twins that lived there..."

"Oh yeah...You two have gotten taller and cut your hair..."

Cody nods. "Yeah, we grew up and got haircuts..."

"Nice..."

London speaks again. "Next to Zack is his girlfriend, Cassie. Next to her is her roommate, Addison. Next to her is her boyfriend, Woody. Next to him is Marcus. Next to him is his girlfriend, Melanie. Next to her is Bailey and she is Cody's fiancee."

"Fiancee? Righteous...Nice to meet you all."

Everyone else nods and says its nice to meet him too.

"We'll be right back, we need to go say hi to Moseby..."

"Moseby's here? Nice..."

London and Lance walk off to find Moseby.

Everyone looks to Zack and Cody. "Okay, what was that?"

"That was Lance. He is or was the lifeguard at the Tipton pool..."

Marcus was confused. "I thought you said London only dated rich guys..."

Zack shrugged. "Lance was one of the exceptions to the rule..."

Cassie paused. "He seems so...so..."

"London-like?"

"Exactly..."

Cody shrugged. "Maybe that's why they got along so well..."

Bailey turned to him. "But didn't he break up with her for a mermaid?"

"That's the story we heard. What's happened since then, I have no idea. But, she did say she was going to see him when we were home for Christmas, so..."

Woody looked confused. "A mermaid? Like the one Zack found?"

"I think she just wore a mermaid costume for a restaurant. You see, Lance loves the water. I mean, he really loves the water..."

London and Lance returned to the table to join them.

Bailey tried to make him feel welcome. "So, Lance, what do you think of the S.S. Tipton?"

"Its great. Having all of the water around you must be paradise..."

"Yeah, its a real hoot and a holler..."

Fortunately, dinner was served soon, so everyone could focus on eating. The meal was fine and soon afterwards, Moseby took the stage.

"I would like to officially welcome everybody to the 2011 Seven Seas High Senior Prom. Before the night is over, we will be announcing your prom court. Until then, enjoy your final dance here at Seven Seas High..." And with that, the music began to play.

All of the guys turned to their dates and asked them if they would like to dance. And soon, the dance floor was filled with couples dancing.

Marcus and Melanie were dancing.

"I'm really glad you're here..."

"So am I..."

"Given any more thought to joining us for our trip later in the summer?

Melanie smiled. "I would like that. All of your friends are great..."

Marcus smiled. "Yeah, they are. I was worried when I first came here, but they made me feel right at home and one of them..."

"They're a lot of fun..."

"That they are, but right now, I more focused on the beautiful lady I'm dancing with..."

"Smooth, Mr. Little..."

"What can I say?"

Nearby, Woody and Addison were dancing.

"Can you believe this is really our last dance?"

"I hope not. I like dancing with you..."

Addison laughed. "No, silly. I mean our last dance here on the boat."

"Oh yeah...Who knows, maybe it isn't..."

"You think we'll be back here one day?"

"I hope so..."

"Me too..."

Nearby to them, Zack and Cassie were dancing.

"Looking good tonight, Mr. Martin..."

"Probably because you rubbed off on to me..."

Cassie smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Zack smiled. "You should. It was meant to be one."

"I can't believe we leave the boat in a week..."

"I know, but I'm psyched you're going to be in Boston this summer..."

"Me too. It was nice of London to hook us both up with jobs for the summer..."

"Me too, I don't know how she got me an internship with the Celts, but it should be a blast..."

Cassie just shook her head. "Yeah, you get to do that while I will be Esteban's assistant all summer..."

"You'll love it. Esteban is a great guy. He's a lot of fun. Besides, Francesca will go into labor at some point this summer, so you will have to keep him prepared and calm for that..."

Nearby to them, Cody and Bailey were dancing.

"This night has been wonderful..."

"It sure has...Of course, I get to dance all night with the prettiest lady here..."

Bailey smiled. "I'm sure some others would disagree..."

Cody smiled. "Then they must be blind..."

"Just think, at our wedding, all eyes will be on us as we dance..."

"Then we'll have to keep practicing to give them a show..."

"And they'll be clinking their glasses to get us to kiss..."

"The horror..."

Bailey grins. "So, you won't mind making out with me in front of our families and friends?"

Cody shakes his head. "Nope. I will be making out with my wife. People will just have to get used to it..."

At that moment, Moseby returns to the stage. "If I may have your attention, its time to announce your prom court. First, we will begin with the Gentlemen in Waiting. When I announce your name, please join me on the stage. Zack Martin...Woody Fink...Marcus Little. Congratulations to you young men."

Zack, Woody and Marcus join Moseby on the stage.

"And now, for our Ladies in Waiting. Again, when I announce your name, please join me on the stage. Cassie Patterson...Addison Reynolds...London Tipton. Congratulations to you young ladies.

Cassie, Addison, and London join everyone on stage.

"Okay. Next is your Prom Queen and Prom King. This year's royal couple is none other than...Bailey Pickett and Cody Martin!"

Cody and Bailey just look at each other in complete shock. "How?"

"Cody, Bailey...Get up here!"

They slowly walk to the stage trying to figure out what just happened. As they stand there stunned, Tut places a crown on Bailey's head while Moseby places one on Cody's head.

"Now, will our King and Queen lead everyone on to the dance floor for the final dance of the night?"

They nod and are the first to walk onto the dance floor. Once they begin dancing, everyone else joins them.

Cody leans in to Bailey. "What just happened here?"

Bailey laughs. "No clue...But I'm not going to ask any questions..."

Cody pauses and smiles. "Who would have ever thought that I guy like me would end up with the prom queen?"

Bailey smiled. "Who would have ever thought that a girl like me would end up the prom queen?"

"You've always been my queen..."

Bailey leans up and kisses Cody.

Off to the side, Cassie whispers to Zack. "You ever going to tell anyone you gave away free smoothies to people to vote for us?"

Zack pauses and laughs. "Nope."

_To be Continued..._


	85. Something to Remember Us By

_Chapter 85_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

After prom was over, there was some room swapping. Cassie and Woody switched places for the night. Melanie only returned to her cabin to get something to sleep in. London, well, no one was quite sure where London and Lance went. And the only ones who actually slept in their own cabin with their own roommate were Cody and Bailey.

The next morning, there were some more surprises. Turns out Melanie was already finished with her freshman year at Emory and was going to stay on board all the way to Boston. Speaking of which, the S.S. Tipton was taking its time and was now somewhere between Cuba and Miami...aka back in the Bermuda Triangle.

Sunday was their last Sunday on board and graduation was now less that a week away. After breakfast, everyone again spent time on the lido deck hanging out. It was now completely open to the seniors, a fact that the underclassmen on board were not to happy about. But the seniors didn't care, they would have their time in the future.

That evening, everyone again had dinner together on the skydeck. As they sat around, they all began to talk.

Woody sighs. "Can you believe this our last week together?"

Zack turned to him. "Well, we are heading to Orlando in August..."

"That's not what I mean...We've spent the the last three years together. This is the last week of that..."

Addison nods. "Woody's right...After Orlando, the next time we are all in the same place at the same time might by Cody and Bailey's wedding..."

Cody turned to Bailey and laughed. "Guess we have to invite everyone now..."

Bailey rolled her eyes at him. "Like we weren't anyways..."

Cassie spoke up. "Woody is right though. Woody, Addison, Zack and I will be in Storrs. Cody and Bailey will be in New Haven, London will be in New York, and Marcus will be in a different city every week. It will never be like this again..."

Bailey turned to her cousin. "Yeah, but what can we do about it? Its not like we can stop time..."

Cassie sighs. "I know...I just feel like I owe this place something. Its the first real home I've ever had..."

"Maybe we should do something? You know, like a parting gift from the class of 2011?"

Woody nods. "Yeah...Like we could write a new school song!"

Zack shakes his head. "Nah, we've already wrote a song before. Besides, writing a new school song is so Saved by the Bell. And not the good Saved by the Bell either, the one where the new girl that nobody liked replace Kelly and Jesse..."

Woody nods. "Oh yeah..."

Cody turns to his brother. "Well, what's your idea then?"

Zack paused. "No clue...What about you, braniac?"

Cody paused. "Well, the nature of us going to school on a cruise ship kind of changes things. A bike rack wouldn't do any good nor would planting a class of 2011 tree..."

Bailey nods. "Cody's right. Maybe we could do something with a nautical theme?"

London shakes her head. "This ship is state of the art...There is nothing we could add."

Everyone sat around and tried to think.

Melanie spoke up. "Well, you guys spend so much time here on the skydeck, maybe there is something you could do here?"

Everyone looks at her and begins to nod. Marcus turns to his girlfriend. "Great idea, babe!"

Zack turns to everyone. "But what? This place was just rebuilt no more than five months ago..."

Everyone looks around to see what they could add, but there wasn't much they could think of. But, Bailey was beginning to get an idea.

"Is there anyone in our class who is really talented artistically?"

Cassie turns to her cousin. "Why?"

"Maybe we could leave a class mural of the school mascot and everyone in the class could sign it?"

"That's a good idea..."

Zack spoke up. "We have a school mascot?"

Cody looked at his brother. "Of course we do!"

"Well, what is it?"

Cody smirked. "Its the sea anemones..."

"Really? I knew I was good, but dang..."

Cody rolls his eyes. "I was being sarcastic. It the Seven Seas High Pirates..."

"The Pirates? How did I not know that?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Bailey tried to get the conversation back on track. "Well, tomorrow morning, we'll ask Tut and Moseby if we can have a seniors only meeting tomorrow and bring it up then..."

Cassie nods. "Good idea..."

The seniors did get a later curfew, but even they had to be back in their cabins by midnight. So, as it approached that time, everyone headed back to their own cabin. The next morning, Moseby and Tut agreed to give the seniors a few minutes by themselves. All of the rest of the senior class seemed to think it was a good idea too, and several of the resident artsy types volunteered to design it and do the work. The seniors did wonder if they should ask before they did it, but London assured them it would be alright to go ahead and do it. If Moseby complained, she would take care of it.

By Wednesday morning, the senior class had sufficiently mastered what they had to do for graduation. Once they finished that practice, Tut took the stage again.

"Alright, well everyone, you've done everything we've asked of you. So, you have the next two day to do whatever you want..."

This brought cheers from the audience.

"Before I dismiss you though, I need to go over the schedule for Saturday. Buses will meet us at the port in Boston at 10 AM. Be ready to leave when they roll out at 11:00 AM. This means have your belongings packed and your rooms cleaned by then. We should arrive at the Boston Tipton sometime before noon. We will immediately do one last run through in the grand ballroom at the hotel where we are doing graduation, and then you will be released to meet up with your families. Graduation is scheduled for 7:00 that night. You need to report the smaller ballroom in your caps and gowns by no later than 6:30. Alright, there is no curfew the rest of the week, and you are dismissed until Saturday morning."

Wednesday evening was spent much the same way as the previous nights. Everyone had dinner together and continued to hang out. As there was no curfew, everyone hung out until the wee hours of the morning. This is time, it was pure fatigue that caused everyone to head back to their cabins. Cody and Bailey got themselves ready for bed and kissed each other goodnight before both fell asleep.

The next morning, Cody woke up and stretched. He reached over for Bailey, but she wasn't there. He sat up and immediately noticed something was different. If he didn't know better, he could swear he was back in his old bedroom in the Tipton. And then he heard it, a sound he would never forget...Zack snoring.

Cody immediately jumped out of bed and ran over to Zack's bed and began to shake him awake.

"Zack! Wake up!"

Zack opened one eye and looked at his brother. "What?"

"What are you doing here and where's Bailey?"

"Who is Bailey?"

Cody just looked at Zack like he had grown a second head. "You know, Bailey...my fiancee!"

"Fiance? Does Barbara know about this?"

"Why would Barbara care?"

"Well, she is your girlfriend..."

"What? No, Bailey's been my girlfriend for over two years, I proposed a couple of weeks ago. And we graduate in a few days!"

"Graduate? Graduate from where?"

"From Seven Seas High!"

"What are you talking about, Cody? Today's the first day of our sophomore years at Cheavers High...We've never been to anything called Seven Seas High and we've never met anyone named Bailey..."

Cody began to frantically look around. "No...No...NOOOOOOOOOO!"

_The End?_

**Author's Note: I never did say what part three was going to be about exactly. Everyone assumed it was going to be about Yale.**_  
_


	86. Back to Cheavers

_Chapter 86_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Carey came into the boys room half asleep. "What's going on in here?"

Zack looked over at his mom. "Cody had a bad dream. I think the new Mexican buffet at the hotel didn't agree with him..."

Carey nods. "Alright. Well, you two boys need to get up and moving. Today is the first day of school..." And with that, Carey leaves the room.

Cody turns to his brother. "It wasn't a dream! It was real!"

"Sure it was. One, no girl is ever going to marry you. Two, if we were at school on a boat, I think I would remember..."

"But we were! I was in love and engaged to the most beautiful girl in the world. And you, you were in love with her cousin. And Dad was married to their aunt..."

Zack begins to laugh. "Right. Let me guess, Mom was dating Arwin too?"

"Well, yeah...I think so. They never really did tell us what the exact nature of their relationship was..."

"Codes, I know it was a dream because I don't do the love thing. Besides, what about Barbara?"

"I could care less about Barbara!"

"Can I be around when you tell her that?"

"Zack, Barbara tried to break me and Bailey up. Agnes was helping her!"

"Okay, that part about Agnes is believable, but the rest of it isn't..."

"Its true! We were about to graduate and Bailey and I were about to be off to Yale..."

"Yale? I thought you wanted to go to Harvard..."

"Well, I did, until you ruined it for me..."

Zack rolls his eyes. "And how did ruin it for you?"

"Its a long story, but you ended up ticking off the President of Harvard by trying to date his daughter and he took it out on me..."

"Well, that was all a dream. And as much as I hate to say Mom was right, we need to start getting ready..."

Cody could only stand there shaking his head. He knew it wasn't a dream. He just had to figure out how to prove it. But, he also knew until he could, he had to play along. Before stepping into the shower himself, he could picture Bailey dragging him in there with her. He could only hope that wherever she was right then, that she was trying to find her way back to him too.

As Cody and Zack were about to leave the suite, Carey told them they needed to hurry to catch their bus. Without thinking, Cody just asked if they could take the car that day. Carey looked at him funny. "Sweetie, you're only 15, you can't drive yet..." Cody could only sigh.

Zack and Cody eventually made it to Cheavers and to their homeroom. Cody just sat there in silence trying to think of how to undo whatever had happened. As he sat there, Bob came over and took his seat in front of Zack.

"Hey guys, another year, huh?"

Zack nods. "Only three more to go..."

Bob looks over and sees Cody deep in though. "What's up with Cody?"

Zack shakes his head. "He had a dream last night that really messed with him. Get this, he was engaged to some girl named Bailey..."

Bob looked back over at Cody. "Why would you want to do that? You've already got a stone fox in Barbara..."

Cody just stared at Bob.

"Sorry, man...I didn't mean anything by it..."

Cody sighed. "I don't care. She ended up going out with you for a little while anyways. What Barbara does in her private life is really none of my concern..."

Bob looks back to Zack. "I want be around when he tells her that..."

Cody just laid his head on his desk. Why would no one believe him?

Eventually, the bell rang and the the teacher entered the room.

"Good morning everyone and welcome to another year at Cheavers High..."

Something inside of Cody told him to look up.

"I want to introduce you to a new student whose family just moved here from Kansas..."

Cody whispered. "Its her..."

Zack turned to his brother. "What?"

"Its Bailey!"

"I want you all to give a warm welcome to Bailey Pickett and make her feel right at home..."

Zack turned back to his brother. "Okay, that was creepy. How did you know that?"

Cody turned to his brother. "She's the love of my life. I would know her anywhere..."

Zack nodded. "She is kind of cute, maybe I should..."

Cody glared at his brother. "Do it, and I will kill you..."

"Okay, okay...Sheesh. She's all yours..."

Cody spoke to himself. "Okay, she's here now. What do I do? I know I have to talk to her..."

Unfortunately for Cody, he didn't get the chance to the rest of the morning. However, coming out of the lunch line, he looked over and saw Bailey sitting by herself. He knew this was his chance. He walked over set his tray down in front of her and she looked up.

"Hi, I'm..."

"You're Cody Martin..."

Cody sat down. "Yes, I am. And you're Bailey Pickett..."

Bailey smiled and then sighed. "I guess you heard me being introduced in one of my classes, huh?"

"I did, but that's not how I knew your name. I know this may sound completely crazy, but I've known you for three years now. You see, we met on the first day at..."

"Seven Seas High..."

Cody smiled. "Yes!"

"My sister told me it was just a dream, but I knew it was real..."

"Zack told me it was just a dream too, but I knew better..."

Bailey paused. "What all do you know?"

Cody smiled. "I know I am head over heels in love with you, and we're engaged to be married. At least we are when we are 18, but I keep getting told I'm only 15 now..."

Tears begin to form in Bailey's eyes. "Codykins?"

"My Little Hay Bail?"

Bailey takes his hand in hers. "It is you! What is going on here? How did we get here?"

"I don't know. But I'm so glad you remember everything too..."

Bailey smiled. "What would you have done if I hadn't?"

"Made you fall in love with me all over again..."

"I would have done the exact same thing..."

"So, what do we do now?"

"I have no idea...How did we end up here?"

"No clue..." Cody paused and smiled. "But I do know I want to kiss you again..."

"So do I..."

Cody sighs. "Unfortunately, we do have another problem..."

"More than we already have?"

"Well, it seems that..."

But before he could finish, he heard his name.

"Cody?"

Both turned to see Barbara staring at them.

"Cody, what are you doing holding that girl's hand?"

Cody turned back to Bailey. "That's our other problem..."

Bailey gasped. "Barbara..."

Cody turned to Barbara. "Look, Barbara...we need to talk..."

Barbara glared at Bailey and then back at Cody. "Is SHE what we need to talk about? How could you, Cody! I was only gone for the summer and I come back and find you with this? How long did you wait? The night I left?"

Cody couldn't help but turn to Bailey and laugh. "How ironic..."

Bailey can't help but laugh too.

"You won't get away with this, Cody Martin!"

Barbara starts to turn away, but stops and turns. She takes her tray and breaks it over Cody's head. Cody slumps to the ground unconscious, and Bailey drops to his side. "Cody! Cody!"

_To be Continued..._


	87. Beginning to Say Goodbye

_Chapter 87_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

"Cody! Cody! Cody, wake up!"

Cody sat straight up. He looked around and found himself back in his cabin on the boat. He was dripping sweat and looked confused. Bailey began to slowly rub his back.

"Codykins, are you alright? It looks like you were having a nightmare..."

Cody tried to catch his breath and looked at Bailey. Without saying anything, he pulled her into his arms for a tight embrace.

Finally, Bailey pulled back. "Are you okay?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah, I am now..."

"Was it a bad dream?"

"Yeah, it was a nightmare. Well, it was at first, then it got a little better..."

"Do you remember it?"

"Yeah, but its going to sound crazy though..."

"Cody, you can tell me anything. I am your fiancee after all..."

Cody smiled. "Yes, you are..." Cody took another breath. "I dreamed I woke up, but I was back in Boston and it was the first day of my sophomore year at Cheavers High. I couldn't find you anywhere, and Zack told me that everything about Seven Seas High was a dream. I knew he was wrong, but I had no idea how to prove it. And I couldn't find you..."

"So, what happened?"

"Well, I had to go to school, but it turned out there was a new student that day...you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. That's when it started to get better. I knew I had to talk to you, but I didn't get a chance to until lunch. I approached you intent on telling you everything, but thankfully you remembered everything too..."

"Of course I would...I could never forget you."

"I was so happy to be back with you, but then we had no idea how to get out of there and back to reality. And then we had another problem..."

"What was that?"

Cody sighed. "Barbara..."

"Ohhh..."

"Needless to say, she wasn't happy to see us holding hands. I guess since I never came here she thought she and I were still dating, so she got mad..."

"What did she do?"

"She broke a cafeteria tray over my head..."

"Then what happened?"

"I woke up to you saying my name and telling me to wake up..."

Bailey hugs Cody again. "Its okay. It was just a bad dream. You're right here where you belong..."

Cody paused. "And I thought I was going to have to kill Zack..."

"Why?"

"I had told him all about you and how you were my fiancee and the love of my life, and when he first saw you, he said he was going to hit on you..."

Bailey began to laugh. "Zack? Hit on me? Like that would ever happen. Can you imagine anything more preposterous than that? More power to Cassie, but Zack is sooooo not my type..." Bailey smiles. "I prefer the sweet, brainy, kind, romantic kind...and you are my perfect guy."

Cody's heart rate had begun to return to normal and he smiled. "Thank you. The thought that you had only been a dream was too much to handle."

Bailey smiled. "Well, I'm not a dream, I'm real. And I'm not going anywhere."

Cody smiled. "That's where you're wrong. You are a dream come true."

"Let's go back to bed...I'll be here right beside you the whole time."

"You go ahead, I'm pretty wired right now..."

"Cody, its not even 5 AM yet...Want me to stay up with you? We can go watch the sun rise together..."

Cody smiled. "Tell you what. The gym is already open. I'll go get my workout out of the way while you go back to sleep. When I get back, we'll shower, go catch the sun rise and then hit the breakfast buffet before its already by pawed over..."

"Okay, sounds good to me..."

Cody leans down and kisses Bailey. "I love you."

"I love you too...And Cody?"

"Yeah?"

"No more Mexican buffets before you go to bed from now on..."

Cody laughed. "Deal. Now, go back to sleep and I'll see you in a little while."

Cody got up and slipped on a pair of shorts and a tshirt and left the cabin. It was quiet on the boat, and he was able to complete his workout in solitude. After finishing, he returned back to the cabin to find Bailey was asleep again. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. She opened her eyes and smiled.

"You're back..."

"Yeah, you still want to get up or do you want to go back to sleep?"

Bailey yawned. "I'm ready to get up..."

Cody smiled. "You sure about that?"

"Yeah. How many more chances am I going to have to watch the sunrise with you out on the ocean?"

Cody takes her hand. "As many as you want..."

After showering, they find themselves alone on the skydeck. Sitting back in a lounge chair, they watch the sun slowly rise and the multicolored effect it had on the water. As they sit there, they snuggle closer together.

"Not again!"

Bailey and Cody turn and see Kirby standing there.

"I thought you two had your own cabin for this..."

Bailey and Cody start laughing. "We're just watching the sunrise, Kirby. We aren't doing what you think we're doing..."

Kirby sighs. "Thank goodness."

"You know, Kirby, we're really going to miss you..."

"Awww...I'll miss you guys too. Especially around tax day..."

Cody laughs. "Tell you what, if you still want me to do your taxes, I will. We'll just have to do everything by mail and webcam or phone."

"Thanks, Cody..."

"No problem, Kirby. I still owe you for teaching me to play football..."

"It was nothing, though Kurt Warner still ain't happy with you..."

"I know. I just wish he hadn't blamed me in his retirement speech. I don't think I'm allowed in the state of Arizona now..."

"Well, I think he'll get over it. He had a long career anyways. By the way, I hear you two got engaged. Congratulations!"

Bailey smiled. "Thanks, Kirby. You'll have to keep in touch with us so we know where to send an invitation to..."

"You guys really going to invite me?"

"Of course..."

Kirby pulls them both into a hug and is almost crushing them.

"I'm really going to miss you two! I'm sorry I busted you two for making out on the deck..."

Cody and Bailey are gasping for air. "If we forgive you will you quit crushing us?"

"Oh, sorry about that..."

"Kirby, we just hope we wear the Seven Seas High cap and gown as well as you did..."

"Awww man, that's another thing I owe you for...Zack too. I can't thank you both enough for helping me study for my equivalency exam..."

Cody smiled. "It was our pleasure. Will you be coming to check out our graduation?"

"I'll be there with bells on!"

Bailey smiled. "Thanks, Kirby..."

"And if you two ever need anything, you don't hesitate to call me. I'll do whatever I can to help..."

"We appreciate that..."

"Well, I best be starting my rounds...Take care, you two."

"You too, Kirby. Goodbye..."

_To be Continued..._

**Author's Note: I knew I was going to try my hand at doing something Twilight Zone-esque in this story. I came down to two ideas, this one and the previous switch. Well, someone else had started a similar story to this one, so I went with the switch. I just thought I'd throw this in as a brief curveball before I wrapped up the story. Only three chapters left.  
**


	88. The Final Days on Deck

_Chapter 88_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

Cody and Bailey went on to the breakfast buffet, and as they thought, they were one of the firsts to have a crack at it. And to boot, they almost had the dining room to themselves. After they finished breakfast, Bailey turned to Cody.

"Its still early, what should we do now?"

"Well, we can go back to the cabin and put the finishing touches on our speech..."

"Probably a good idea. Have it done so we don't have to worry about it again until Saturday..."

Cody sighs. "And after that, it probably wouldn't hurt to go ahead and pack up as much as we can..."

"Pack...I guess it is about time to do that..."

"If we get most of it done today, we won't have to worry about it tomorrow and we can take our time Saturday morning without having to worry about doing it at the last minute..."

Bailey sighs. "I know you're right, but actually starting to pack just shows the end really is in sight..."

"I know..."

"And its funny, I always thought I would enjoy finishing high school. And when we got into Yale, I couldn't wait to get there. But now that its here..."

"You wish you still had a few more weeks..."

"Yeah. I mean, how do you say goodbye to the place that forever changed your life and has brought you so many good memories?"

Cody smiled. "You just keep those memories close to your heart so you never forget them..."

Bailey smiled. "You're right. Maybe one day we can come back here?"

"Of course..." Cody laughs. "Maybe we pull an Esteban and have our wedding here?"

Bailey paused to think. "Why don't we? It would be fitting. The place where we met and fell in love be the place we join together as one..."

"Yeah?"

"Why not?"

Cody paused to think. "Yeah, why not?"

"Good idea, Cody."

"When we're ready, we'll definitely make a phone call..."

Bailey smiled. "Speaking of ready, you ready to go finish our speech?"

"Yeah, lets do it..."

For the next hour, Cody and Bailey put the finishing touches on their speech and finally get it to a place where both are happy with it. After printing it out, they begin the long process of beginning to pack up their room. Right before they are about to start, there is a knock at the door. Cody opens it and Zack and Cassie come in.

"Where have you two been?"

"We woke up early and decided to have breakfast then. Then, we finished up our speech and are about to begin packing..."

Cassie sighed. "Packing already?"

Bailey nods. "So we don't have to worry about it tomorrow and won't be in a rush on Saturday..."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense...What are you two getting into later?"

"No clue yet, you guys?"

"Well, it started raining and is supposed to all day today. London mentioned something about getting together in either her or Marcus' cabin to watch movies or play games."

Cody smiled. "Trivial Pursuit?"

Zack shook his head. "No. Unless you two agree to be on separate teams..."

Bailey smiled. "What fun is that?"

"Anyways, that's the plan for later. I guess we should get some packing done too." And with that, Zack and Cassie head out.

Cody and Bailey decide to be smart about it. First thing they do is gather up all of their text books and return them to the Seven Seas High office. Once they get back to the cabin, they take their caps and gowns and everything they will wear Friday and Saturday and separate them from everything else. After than, its a matter of folding clothes, filling up bags and putting as much as they can in their trunks. After a couple of hours, they look around their cabin and it looks pretty bare. The only things not packed are the things they set aside and their belongings in their bathroom.

"Wow, it looks like a regular cabin now and not our home for the past year..."

Cody wraps his arm around Bailey. "Just think, the next place we move into, we'll be there for four years. And this was a good first place for us. It was filled with laughter and love. We'll never forget it..."

Bailey turns to Cody. "You're right..."

"You ready to head up to London's?"

"Yeah, let's go..."

For the next several hours, everyone hung out in London's cabin. It wasn't lost on anyone that it was similar to being there for the hurricane. Well, except this time everyone was actually having fun. Later on, they ordered in pizzas so they wouldn't have to go out for dinner.

By the end of the night, the lights were out, and everyone was paired up watching a movie on London's television. London was curled up with Lance on the bed, while around the floor Addison was curled up with Woody, Melanie with Marcus, Cassie with Zack and Bailey with Cody.

At midnight, the movie they were watching ended and everyone looked around to see what everyone wanted to do. With nowhere to be in the morning, they decided to watch another one. However, when it ended about 2 AM, Cody and Bailey decided to call it a night as they had gotten up early. Everyone else decided to call it a night too.

Friday was everyone's last full day on board. Unfortunately, the rain from the day before continued. So, those who hadn't started packing yet proceeded to do so. Eventually, by noon, everyone was done with what they had to do, but were stuck indoors. So, everyone decided for a free for all laser tag game. But, soon enough, it ended.

So, they were stuck with nothing to do again. Someone suggested a movie, but they were split on what to see. The girls wanted to see Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, but the guys were more interested in seeing the Hangover 2. Bailey mainly didn't want to give the guys any further ideas for Cody's bachelor party. However, Cody suggested they had all afternoon, why not both? Neither side could really find an argument with that, so that is what they did.

After the movies, everyone headed back to London's cabin where everyone just sat around and reminisced about their times on the S.S. Tipton. Then someone brought up a game for them to play. Everyone had to say what their most memorable moment on the ship was that didn't include their significant other. If that was allowed, the game would be boring and over quickly. Everyone sat back and thought.

Woody began. "I would have to say when Cody and I were competing for the spot on London's space station when we kept trying to sabotage each other and neither of us ended up winning..."

Cody laughed. "Yeah, sorry about that, Woodchuck."

Addison paused. "I would have to say it was having to deal with Mr. Blanket and him trying to get me over my fear of ping pong balls..."

London went next. "I would say it was when we were stranded on that deserted island. I had you all at my beck and call..."

Marcus followed her. "I would say it had to be getting caught and beat up by that spider in South America. Guys, again, thanks for leaving me there..."

Cassie went next. "To me, it had to be the hurricane. That's something I never want to experience ever again..."

Zack paused. "I would say it was when Agent Smith dropped out of the sky that night. It lead Cody and I on an adventure like the kind we used have back at the Tipton..."

Cody went next. "For me, it was when Mr. Blanket forced me to dress up like a banana. I think after that day, Zack and I had a lot better understanding of each other than we ever had before..."

Cassie turned to them. "Okay, we've heard about this banana thing several times, but none of us have any idea what it means. What did you learn about each other?"

"We learned that we each felt the other overshadowed us growing up..."

Zack nodded. "Yeah, it was hard growing up knowing everyone thought Cody was the smart one and actually had a future ahead of him..."

"And it was hard growing up knowing that Zack would always be better at sports, being outgoing and better with girls. Academics were the only place I felt I could be myself and the best at something..."

"Neither of us knew the other felt that way..."

"And now we know. And now Zack has proven he actually has brains and has a bright future ahead of him as well..."

"And Cody has become a lot more athletic...And as for his ability with girls, I think him being engaged has put that doubt to rest..."

"Thanks, man..."

Bailey smiled. "He should have no doubts about that whatsoever..." She paused. "I would say my most memorable moment that didn't include Cody was going with London to meet Khun Yai. London and I really bonded that trip and realized we were more alike than we knew..."

Everyone continued to talk about their favorite stories from their time on the ship as the night continued to pass by. And like the night before, it got late again. By this time, everyone was kind of off in their own little worlds just thinking and reminiscing. Soon, everyone headed back to their cabins for their final night on board the ship.

When they returned to their cabin, Cody could tell Bailey was deep in her own thoughts.

"Are you okay?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah. I guess I'm just sad that this is our last night on board the ship..."

Cody walked over and pulled Bailey into a hug. "I know, Sweetie. But its like they say, every time one door closes, another one opens. And we know what that door will be. And for the rest of our lives, doors will continue to open and close. But, every single time they do, we're going to go through them together..."

Bailey pulled back and looked at Cody. "There you go knowing just the right thing to say when I need it..."

Cody smiled. "So that helped?"

Bailey smiled. "Yeah, it did..."

"Good."

Bailey paused. "Cody?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you with me..."

"That's one thing you will never have to worry about."

"I want to make a lasting memory of our last night on the ship together. Will you make love to me one last time here in our cabin?"

Cody smiled. "As you wish..."

_To be Continued..._


	89. Departures and Arrivals

_Chapter 89_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

During the early hours, the boat came to a stop in at the port of Boston. The next morning, everyone packed up the last of their things. Well, except London, she had a small crew of workers cleaning up her cabin who would transport everything back to her suite. The guys all met up early to make sure they had luggage carts to use. Using a little bit of luck and skill, they fit everyone's bags on to three carts that were ready whenever the buses arrived. It was going to be a first come, first serve situation. As soon as one bus was full, it would leave for the hotel before it came back. The ten of them were among the first to arrive at the buses, so they were all on the first bus.

Before they left, everyone turned and took one last look at the S.S. Tipton. Most wondered if they would ever see it again, but Cody and Bailey shared a smile indicating that the boat may not be out of their lives just yet. With the buses carrying both passengers and belongings, the buses held at most 25 students. And at ten minutes after ten, that first bus pulled away from the docks and made its way to the Tipton. Now, being on buses, they couldn't very well pull up to the front door, so they were taken around back to the loading docks to unload. Fortunately, there were more luggage carts waiting on them.

The guys loaded the bags up again while the girls went into the hotel to see if any of their families had arrived yet. As they approached the front desk, Esteban saw them and smiled.

"Welcome back!"

"Good to see you again, Esteban!"

Esteban turned to Cassie. "I look forward to you starting your new position."

Cassie smiled. "So do I."

"Esteban, are any of our families here yet?"

Esteban turned to his computer. "I will see..." He typed in a few things and looked back up. "None have arrived yet, but I have all of your suites ready for you."

"We all have a suite?"

"That is what it says. One in the name of Woody Fink and Addison Reynolds, one in the name of Marcus Little and Melanie Moore, one in the name of Zack Martin and Cassie Patterson, and one in the name of Cody Martin and Bailey Pickett..."

The other girls turn to London and she just shrugs. They are about to say something when the guys come in pushing and pulling the luggage carts. The girls quickly explain that no parents are there yet, but they everybody has their own suite. They decide to go drop their stuff off, and then they can see Carey before they have to return for the walk through. Well, as luck would have it, all of their rooms were on the 23rd floor. After dropping all of their bags off and hanging up their clothes and gowns for later, they all meet in front of Carey's suite.

They knocked on the door and heard a loud "Coming". Carey opened the door was surprised to see everyone standing there.

"What are you guys doing here?"

Zack smiled. "Well, we do graduate here in several hours..."

"No, I mean come on in. I wasn't expecting you guys till this afternoon. When did you guys get back to Boston?"

Cody answered. "We docked overnight, and we were all on the first bus to the hotel. Of course, we can't stay long though..."

"Why not?"

"We have to do the final dress rehearsal for graduation once everyone gets here."

Carey nods. "That makes sense. Are anybody else's families here yet?"

"Not according to Esteban..."

"Well come on in and rest for a little bit..." As the teens come in, Cody grabs Cody and Zack and hugs them both. "So good to have you both back home..."

"Good to be home, Mom."

Carey then hugs both Cassie and Bailey. "So good to see you both again too..." She then whispers to Bailey. "And again, welcome to the family"

Carey then turned back to her sons. "Your grandmother and your great uncle will be arriving in a little while."

"The doctor actually let her come?"

Carey shrugged. "She said she was coming whether he said it was okay or not, so the doctor relented..."

"That's great!"

"Is anyone coming with Uncle Mitch?"

"I don't think so. I think Amy was going to, but she had something come up. I think one of her sisters had to go into the hospital."

"So, things are progressing there?"

"We'll see...so, what time will your rehearsal be over?"

"As soon as we get it right, but I'm assuming around one or so..."

"Tell you all what, I'll head down and keep an eye open for your families and let them know where you all are, and when they get here, will all head out to lunch..."

"Sounds good, Mom."

Everyone said goodbye to Carey and headed to the grand ballroom. It was already set up with a stage erected and chairs for both the graduates, families and friends. Everyone took seats and just waited for everyone else to begin to filter in. Finally, all soon to be graduates arrived and Tut took the stage. She had everyone head to the smaller ballroom and line up as they had practiced. And with that, the final dress rehearsal began. It wasn't a full run through as Reina, Cody and Bailey didn't give their speeches and not everyone got up and crossed the stage. Once it was over, Tut told everyone to remember to be in the small ballroom by 6:30.

With that, everyone returned to the lobby and everyone found their families there waiting on them. To one side was the group of eight graduates surrounded by their families and friends. Carey announced that she had managed to get a reservation as a restaurant down the street for everyone to have lunch at. As they were about to leave, a group of men in dark suits came in the front door, all wearing sunglasses and ear pieces. And for the first time, they parted and a shorter man emerged from within. For many, it was the first time they ever saw Wilfred Tipton.

He walked over and hugged London and Khun Yai and then turned to everyone else. "What are we waiting on? Lunch is on me..."

With that, everyone quickly made their way to the restaurant. Most of the time there was spent talking about graduation and everyone's plans for afterwards. Mr. Tipton even told Cody and Bailey that if they had any problems at Yale to call him that a few people there owed him some favors. Eventually, at least at the tables involving the Martins and Picketts, the topic of Cody and Bailey's engagement came up.

Maggie turned to them. "So, have you two began thinking about what you are going to do yet?"

Bailey shook her head. "To be honest, we've been focusing on graduating. We have plenty of time to think about a wedding later..." She begins to laugh. "Besides, its not like we are planning on doing it this summer..."

And with that, there was a collective sigh of relief from their parents.

Cody smiled. "We're not rushing into anything. When the time is right, we'll know. For all we know, the wedding might not happen until we graduate college. But, we both know we want to spend the rest of our lives together, so one will happen..."

Joe nodded. "That's probably a good idea. I want you to be able to support my little girl when the time comes..."

"Daddy!"

Cody grinned. "Its okay. I want us to be able to support ourselves too."

Maggie tried to change the subject. "So, just let me know and we can reserve the church in Kettlecorn..."

Carey interrupts. "What about having it here in Boston?"

"Well, its usually the bride's family who plans and pays for the wedding..."

"But..."

Cody cleared his throat. "We have plenty of time later to think about that later..."

Bailey nodded. "That's right, besides, we may decide on neither Kettlecorn or Boston..."

Maggie turned to her daughter. "Then where?"

"Like we said, we haven't even begun to think about it yet..."

Both of their grandmothers just look at each other and begin to laugh.

Maggie looks over. "What's so funny?"

Bailey's grandmother turned to her daughter. "Its their wedding. Its their choice. Whatever they decide, we'll all accept it..."

Ellie laughed. "Exactly, if they want to get married in Vegas dressed as a showgirl and an Elvis impersonator, so be it..."

Cody sighed and smiled. "Thank you...thank you very much..." As everyone laughed, he turned to Bailey and whispered. "You do look good as a showgirl though..."

With that settled, everyone enjoyed the rest of their lunch. The graduates had to be getting back so they could begin to get ready. Their families wanted them to meet them in the lobby at 5:45 for pictures. So, with that, everyone returned to their suites to don their caps and gowns.

At 5:45, Carey lead everyone into a small conference room so they would have some privacy. All the guys were in their blue caps and gowns with Cody wearing a gold cord for graduating with honors as well as a blue and red interwoven cord to symbolize he was a valedictorian. All the girls were in their red caps and gowns with Bailey wearing identical cords as Cody's.

Every combination of picture that could be taken was. There were the eight of them as a group, each of them with their families, of each person with their significant other, and so on. Finally, it was approaching 6:30, and the graduates had to be heading to the small ballroom. Before they left, they all turned around.

"Next time you see us, we'll all be high school graduates..."

_To be Concluded..._


	90. Pomp and Circumstance

_Chapter 90_

Again, I don't own any of these characters

All the families and friends took their places in their seats, and numerous had camcorders out to tape the ceremony. As they sat there, the crowd was murmuring waiting for the ceremony to begin.

In the small ballroom, everyone was double checking that they looked alright and to make sure all of their tassels were on the right. Finally, it was time to line up. Everyone was in two lines side by side except for Bailey, Cody and Reina who were in line behind the faculty. Finally, Tut gave them their "pregame speech."

"Alright, this is the moment you've all been waiting for. When the music starts playing, begin to walk towards the ballroom like we practiced. And stay seated until Moseby tells you to sit down."

And with that, Tut gives the organist the signal. Pomp and Circumstance begins to fill the grand ballroom and the graduates begin to march in. As the music plays and and the rows begin to fill in with the graduates, the faculty begins to walk in to take their places on the stage with Bailey, Cody and Reina following them.

After everyone is standing in front of their chairs, Mr. Moseby moves to the podium.

"You all may be seated." Everyone sits down.

"I would like to welcome everyone to the commencement for the 2011 graduating class of Seven Seas High. In case you don't know me, I am Marion Moseby, the manager of the S.S. Tipton and on board administrator for Seven Seas High. At this moment, I would like to turn things over to Miss Emma Tutweiler, one of our most respected teachers and the school principal."

Moseby takes a seat and Emma walks up to the podium.

"Welcome everyone. It has been my pleasure to have been around this group of graduates. They have certainly made my life interesting and left me with many memories that I will never forget. All of the family and friends in attendance should be very proud of all of these students. They've worked really hard, and their futures are very bright. I know, personally, I will miss each and everyone of them. Now, let's move on with our program. First, I would like everyone to welcome our class Salutatorian, Reina James."

The crowd applauds as Reina takes the stage.

"Fellow graduates, we are on the precipice of our futures. After today, we all move on away from Seven Seas High as we say our final goodbyes. Its time for us to head into the future and make our impact on this world. Personally, I take that as a challenge and hope everyone else does as well. I'm ready to accept my destiny and follow my life's path. I hope everyone else is as well. We are ready. I know I stand here today in second place. But I take this as a challenge to never let that happen again. And I hope you all take it upon yourselves as a challenge as well. Be the best that you can. Show the world that Seven Seas High is the home of winners! Thank you..." And with that, Reina sits down.

Emma returns to the podium and Reina gets a polite applause from the audience. "Okay...Well, next, a select member of our junior class chorus will be singing the Seven Seas High school song.

A group of about twelve students gets up and serenades the graduates and the guests with a rendition of the school song. Sitting in his chair, Zack mumbles to himself that they maybe should have written a new school song after all. After they finish, they are applauded as well.

Emma takes the stage again. "Alright, the Class of 2011 has a senior class gift they want to present..." She walks over to an easel covered with a sheet over top of it. She lifts the sheet over it and everyone sees a picture of the mural painted on the wall of the skydeck with everyone's signatures underneath it. Emma immediately turns to Moseby who just shrugs. "Thank you, Class of 2011!"

Emma yet again returns to the podium. "Okay, this year we have something a little different. We had two students tie for the highest grade point average in the class. Normally, we would have two different valedictorian speeches, but these two have decided to make a joint speech. Of course, this should come as no surprise to anyone who knows these two. So, please welcome our valedictorians, Bailey Pickett and Cody Martin." Everyone applauds, with several of the more enthusiastic ones coming from their families.

Bailey begins. "Distinguished faculty, families, friends, and fellow graduates, today is a day we have all looked forward to for quite a long time."

Cody continues. "We think it appropriate to begin with the words of someone that all of us have no doubt learned quite a bit from. Dr. Seuss tells us 'You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go'..."

"And he was right. We have all been given what we need to go out into the world and decide which directions we will go. Some of us are off to continue our educations. Some of us are off to join the military. Some of us are off to join the real world. And some of us are still trying to figure out which direction we want to go next..."

"But he was wrong in one aspect. We aren't on our own. No matter which direction we go, we all know that we aren't on this journey by ourselves. When we were younger, it was our families who were there to support us and they still are. And as we got older, our friends joined that support system as well. So, no matter which direction we go in life, we know they are always there right behind us..."

"Our families are the ones who instilled in us all those basic values that are we hold so dear today. They are the ones who taught us the most basic of things that we unfortunately may take for granted. They were the ones to set a good example and hoped we listened to them enough. Well, we all sit here hoping we heard what you were trying to tell us. We've tried to live by your words and examples, and in doing so, we hope we have made you proud..."

"Our friends are the ones we count on to pick us up when we are down, and we in turn will be there to catch them. They are the ones who will come to your aid in a time of need and willing to go along with our crazy ideas no matter how stupid or silly it makes them look. They are the ones you cram with at all hours of the morning, and the ones you want to celebrate with after a job well done. They are the ones we want to sit back with in fifty years and laugh about all the good times we've had no matter how crazy and absurd they seem at the time..."

"Cody and I consider ourselves very fortunate. We happen to think we have the best friends in the world. We hope they know just how much they mean to us, and we can't imagine our lives without them. Without each and everyone of them, these past few years wouldn't have been the same. And these are all memories we wouldn't trade for anything..."

"Seven Seas High will mean different things to different people. To some of us, its getting a top notch education and an educational experience unmatched by any other school. To others of us, its finding those relationships that will continue for the rest of our lives. And to some of us..." He turns to Bailey and smiles. "Its finding our futures..."

Bailey smiled back. "When we leave her today, we will all be going our different directions, but we are all leaving from the same staring point..."

"In the future, I hope we can all find our ways back again some day..."

"So, in farewell to the Class of 2011, go out and make the world a better place. Take life by the horns and hold on for the ride. Just make sure you enjoy that ride though. Life is a journey, but don't forget to enjoy the trip. Shoot for the stars. Don't be afraid to take risks. Do what will make you happy. But just know, we are all forever bound together in our allegiance to Seven Seas High. We are the Class of 2011."

"So, Class of 2011, We refuse to say goodbye though. We know we will see you all again someday. And we look forward to hearing about all of your successes and achievements and other thing in which you take great pride. So, no, we won't say goodbye. Instead, we say 'Until we meet again'..."

Cody and Bailey return to their seats as everyone stands up and applauds. Reina rolls her eyes.

Tut returns to the podium. "Its time for what everyone has been waiting for...the presentation of diplomas. Graduates, please rise."

Tut proceeded to call their names as Moseby shook everyone's hand and handed them a representation of their diplomas. Eventually, all of the graduates heard their names called.

"Woody Fink." Woody walked along the stage and gave Moseby a pat on the back.

"Marcus Little." Marcus fist pumped Moseby instead.

"Cody Martin." Cody walked over and instead of shaking Moseby's hand gave him a hug.

"Zack Martin." This time, it was Moseby who hugged Zack. While in the hug, Zack slipped a list of all "unsolved" pranks over the years into Moseby's pocket.

"Cassie Patterson." Moseby hugged her too and whispered to her to take care of Zack.

"Bailey Pickett." Bailey hugged Moseby too and he again told her to take care of Cody.

"Addison Reynolds." Addison crossed the stage trying to keep from crying.

"London Tipton." London crossed the stage and Moseby pulled her into a tight embrace telling her how proud of her he was.

Once the last student had received their diplomas, Moseby moved to the podium again.

"Okay, confession time. Several of these young men and women here are more than just students to me. Some of them are the children I've never had. I will miss them all very much and hope they will come back and see me from time to time. I am extremely proud of them all and can't wait to see what they will accomplish." Moseby gathers himself. "Class of 2011, please rise."

The graduates all stand up.

"Please take your tassels and move them from the right side to the left."

Everyone does so.

"Congratulations, you are now all officially graduates of Seven Seas High! Good luck to you all!"

And with that, everyone throws their caps into the air and celebrates.

_The End_

**Author's Note: There will be three Summer Shorts, one covering June, one for July and one for August. They are already written. I hope everyone enjoyed the story. I'm just wondering how many ideas I have left in my head now.**


End file.
